YA Review – Recruit of Talionis – young adult dystopian

Welcome to the Blog Tour for Recruit of Talionis by C.J. Milacci, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!

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About the Book

Title: Recruit of Talionis
Series: Talionis Series #1
Author: C.J. Milacci
Publisher: Fayette Press
Release Date: November 3, 2022
Genre: Young Adult Sci-Fi Dystopian

“Forget where you came from. Forget the life you knew. You are now recruits of Talionis!”

A teen with a dark past. A secret military force that kidnaps new soldiers. Can she survive as a Recruit of Talionis?

America has fallen.

Seventeen-year-old Bria Averton grew up in a small town of survivors near the ruins of Portland, Maine. It’s all she’s ever known — until she’s kidnapped along with hundreds of other teens and brought to the city of Talionis. A city no one knew existed.

The soldiers tell them the intense trainings are for the good of the survivors, and Bria resists being forced into a new life as a recruited soldier. But she soon finds the dangers in the city are greater than she imagined.

Escape is impossible, and Bria fears drowning in the evil of the city… and the guilt from her own past. But can she find hope, even here?

PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Book Depository | IndieBound | BookBub

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My Review

Milacci, C. J. Recruit of Talionis. Philadelphia: Journey Perspective Publishing, 2022.

Milacci is a new-to-me author. This probably will not be the last time I will read one of her books. She did an excellent job with character and plot development as well as world building.

Readers will care about Bria from page one, feeling compassion for her for the losses she has experienced before the start of the book. Milacci includes many stressors which may be triggers for those who struggle with anxiety. Yet she presents a world and situations that sometimes I wonder if they could really happen. 

I appreciated the characters who have a relationship with God and aren’t afraid to share their faith with others in the oppressive situation in which they find themselves. As the story progressed, I found it harder and harder to put the book down. I look forward to reading book 2 in the series. 

Recruit of Talionis could find its way into a K-12 Christian school library. As a librarian I would probably limit the book to high school students due to the high intensity of the story. 

I received a complimentary copy of Recruit of Talionis. This is my honest review. 

About the Author – C.J. Milacci

CJ Milacci has found creating to be therapeutic in the chaos of life. Writing is her favorite way to create, and she seeks to take her readers on a grand adventure that begins with a single word. As a referee, she is always relearning the hard lesson that it’s impossible to make everyone happy, and she’s discovered that stories can be found anywhere, even on a lacrosse field. She is passionate about crafting stories of good overcoming evil, finding hope in the midst of seemingly hopeless circumstances, and true acceptance. Always willing to get real about hard issues, C.J. also enjoys the cheesiest of puns. She loves deep conversations, yo-yos, roller-blading, and finding reasons to throw a dance party. She chats about writing, her faith and the hope found in Jesus, bubble tea, and other fun adventures online (@cjmilacci) and at cjmilacci.com.

Connect with CJ by visiting cjmilacci.com to follow her on social media or subscribe to email newsletter updates.

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Tour Giveaway

(2) winners will each receive a print copy of Recruit of Talionis with swag and a $15 Amazon gift card!

Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight March 27 2023 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on April 3, 2023. Winner will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.

Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.

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