VBT + Review + #Giveaway: Age of Order by Julian North @GoddessFish

Age of Order

by Julian North

GENRE: Dystopian Young Adult/New Adult

BLURB:

What if the people who thought they were better than you… really were?

In this world, inequality is a science. Giant machines maintain order. And all people are not created equal.

Daniela Machado is offered a chance to escape the deprivation of Bronx City through a coveted slot at the elite Tuck School. There, among the highborn of Manhattan, she discovers an unimaginable world of splendor and greed. But her opportunity is part of a darker plan, and Daniela soon learns that those at society’s apex will stop at nothing to keep power for themselves. She may have a chance to change the world, if it doesn’t change her first.

Age of Order is a novel that explores the meaning of merit and inequality. Fans of the Hunger Games, Red Rising, and Divergent will enjoy this world of deception and intrigue, where the downtrodden must fight for a better future.

Excerpt:

The sky was vast. The glow of the city made all but the brightest stars invisible, but the black dome above us was no less magnificent for it. Alexander’s familiar trailed behind us like a flying metal dog.

“Thank you for agreeing to come with me,” he said.

“I’m surprised you asked me.”

We walked half a block before he answered. A soft breeze pushed us along, making our steps light and easy.

         

“I misjudged you when we first met. Not just you, but especially you. You reminded me of lessons I learned as I child… about looking within a person. And within myself. You certainly shouldn’t be surprised I asked you.”

“I’m not sure I understand. Why did you ask me, exactly?”

“Many reasons. But one is that you didn’t want to come.”

“Good plan.”

The street lights let me see the amused grin on his face. “Let me try to explain, if I can. I’m not as good with words as you are, and wary of giving offense.” He took another half a block to muster his thoughts. “Among the families I grew up with, and within my own, there is always the game. This competition to be more, have more, to seek position, status. I grew up living it. My father is a master of game, my sister… she is beyond that. In such a world, it is easy to forget there is another way.” I saw the moon in his irises. “It has been a very long time since I met someone who wanted nothing from me.”

My Review:

Daniela Machado lives in a world where the country has been divided into different classes of people. Not only have the people been divided but they all go to different schools and live in different places. People who live in Daniela’s part of the country cannot go to the rich part without a reason and permission.

Daniela is on the track team at the high school she attends and is the fastest runner on the team. Daniela loves running it helps her to deal with everyday life. Daniela has an older brother who has a disease called the Waste that only people from the lower class have. One of Daniela’s goals in life is to one day being able to get her brother the cure he needs.

So when Daniela is offered a scholarship to the Tuck Academy, a school in Manhattan she accepts. She has some issues with the offer and accepting but under the circumstances she has no choice. She knows deep down this will be the best thing for her and her brother because hopefully eventually it will get him the cure he needs before it is too late.

Daniela meets some very interesting people at the Tuck Academy some of who become her friends and some who do not. There is a lot of mysterious things going on at the academy and being the person she is Daniela has all intentions of finding out what the school and the people there are hiding and why they are hiding it.  

Come join Daniela and her new friends while they try to figure out what is going at the Tuck Academy and what they are going to do about it once they figure it all out. I love reading dystopian books and Age of Order takes the dystopian world to whole new level one which I enjoyed tremendously. I would love to read more about Daniela and the new world she has found herself in. 

Interview with Julian North

What inspired you to write Age of Order?

Age of Order was inspired by my experiences fighting to get my two young children into school in my adopted home of New York City. You could say that the book was born out of anger and frustration, then raised on glimmers of hope. What started out as a way to blow off steam evolved into a vessel to discuss the unfairness, inequality, and occasional brilliance I saw around me through my favorite medium: dystopian science-fiction.

Can you tell us a little bit about the next book(s) in Age of Order or what you have planned for the future?

Age of Order has a real ending, not a cliff hanger. If I don’t write a sequel, I don’t think anyone will hate me. I thought that it would be rather presumptuous for a new author and first novel to leave everyone hanging. However, I left plenty of room for the story to continue. Assuming reader want it, I’ll be thrilled to write all of the story, which should be 3-4 books. I’m also itching to write a fantasy novel.


Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in Age of Order?

The story is told by Daniela Machado, a sixteen-year old girl from Bronx City—formerly a borough of New York. Daniela, like most people in her world, hasn’t had it easy: she’s lost most of her family, has few material possessions and has a ton of responsibilities. Yet she focuses on the bright lights in her life: friendship and being the best runner in Bronx City. When we meet her she’s an angry young woman, and she uses that anger. The events of the book test not only Daniela’s strength, but her sense of identity.

Nythan Royce is probably my favorite character. He gets the best lines, and his interest in 20^th Century science fiction books and film mirrors my own (I wonder how that happened?). He’s the voice that keeps people from taking themselves too seriously. He’s also one of the characters who still has lot of story to tell. We’ve barely scratched the surface of Nythan in Age of Order.

Alexander Foster-Rose-Hart. See that triple barreled name? That means he’s highborn. Alexander may be the epitome of the highborn, the product of two generations of genetic engineering (or double-sifted, as Nythan would say). A self-described man of honor, yet his world isn’t as simple as it appears.

Kristolan Foster-Rose-Hart. Think Regina George form Mean Girls, but with intelligence and genuine ambition. Another one of my favorites. It’s fun being Kristolan, most of the time.

There are many others. I can’t do any of them justice in a few sentences. Please go meet them for yourselves.

You know I think we all have a favorite author. Who is your favorite author and why?

Pierce Brown. The Red Rising books are bloodydamn awesome. They’ve got it all: characters, amazing dialogue, action, pace. I devour them as soon as they are released. It’s also great to see a young, first-time author find success.


If you could time-travel would you travel to the future or the past? Where would you like to go and why would you like to visit this particular time period?

It’s a tough call, but I’d opt for the future. My childhood dream was to go to outer space. It’s looking increasingly dubious as my hairline recedes. I’ve still got my fingers crossed for men like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Robert Bigelow to come through for me. But, to be “realistic,” I think a time machine may be my best bet to get up there.


Do you have any little fuzzy friends? Like a dog or a cat? Or any pets?

We live in an apartment in Manhattan which isn’t the best place for most pets, unfortunately. My only fuzzy friends are my children. At least they’re potty trained.

Thanks for taking time out of your busy schedule to visit with us today. 

AUTHOR BIO:

I’ve been writing since I could grab a pencil (remember those?). Then I had kids. Not much time for writing anymore. Until they started school… in New York City. I’m not from here, and the tumult of that experience inspired me. AGE OF ORDER grew from a diary of injustice. Now I write what I’m feeling, and let the rest flow from there. I hope you enjoy it. 

Please visit my website at www.juliannorth.com and join my book club to receive a free short story set in the same world as AGE OF ORDER.

Author Links:

Website ~ Goodreads

Giveaway:

$50 Amazon/BN GC
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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