⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ This review is for The Given (Interland Series Book #1) by Gary Clark. I was given this as an Advanced Readers Copy (ARC) by the author, and it was a privilege to read it. I reviewed this in February 2021. Described as a Young Adult dystopian fantasy novel, it drew me in from the outset, and I couldn’t put it down, turning the pages with enthusiasm as I needed to see what happened next!
Jay has just turned 18, and her powers are becoming stronger. She isn’t yet aware of all this entails, however, she is aware that in the society she lives in, having the powers she does isn’t a good thing. Jay and others like her have enemies who are known as Readers, and her Dad, who also has some level of power, is arrested by the Readers and taken away from his family. As the Readers also become aware of Jay, she has no alternative other than to go on the run, and try and find the Interland - the place of legends that her Dad is convinced exists, where she will be safe. Along with her brother Sammy and her two best friends, Cassie and Stitch, she sets out on her journey.
The author’s descriptive writing ensures that your journey along with Jay and experience her travels with her. I was fearful when she was, overjoyed at the same things as her, and downright angry when someone or something got in her way.
The story also briefly follows Jay’s Dad on his journey, and a few chapters are devoted to him, but the majority of the book, as it should, focuses on Jay as her powers develop and she sets out to solve the mystery of the Interland.
The thing I enjoyed most about the book was the feeling that there may be people out there, in the real world, with powers the same as Jay. In my mind, if an author can make you feel like this, then they have drawn you steadily into the world they have created and enfolded you into the story.
The only thing I disliked about the book was that as this was an ARC, there may be a wait for the next instalment, and I can’t wait to see what the author has in store for Jay.
As the book is advertised as a book for Young Readers, as you would expect, there is no profanity or erotic scenes, and I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a fantasy novel and who likes to escape into another world for a while.
