Review: The Union by T.H. Hernandez

The Union (#1) by T.H. Hernandez (Nov. 2014)
325 pages
Genre: Romance/Dystopian/Young Adult
Source: I received a free copy from the author in exchange for an honest review. Thanks T.H. Hernandez!
Purchase: Amazon
My Rating:

Goodreads Summary: After global warming and a second civil war devastated the former United States, two different societies rose from the ashes - the Union, a towering high-tech utopia, hugging the perimeter of the continent, and the devastated, untamed midsection known as the Ruins.

Seventeen-year-old Evan Taylor has an easy, privileged life in the Union. What she doesn't have is any idea what to do with the rest of her life. She only knows she wants to do something meaningful, to make a difference in the lives of others.

When she's kidnapped and taken into the Ruins as a pawn in a dispute involving her boyfriend, Bryce, her ideal world is turned upside down. What she learns while in the Ruins shakes her faith in everything she's ever known, from Bryce, to her family, and even the Union itself.

Now Evan must choose whether to stay with Cyrus, the sexy, resourceful survivor who believes she's in the Ruins for a reason, or return to the only life she's ever known. But when she stumbles upon a dangerous plot that threatens both worlds, her decision could tear her apart.

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My Review

The Union started off strong and ended with enough flourish to have me curious about the second book in the series. This is going to be a shorter review that jumps straight to the point. Sometimes I just think that lists are the best way to describe how I feel about a book. Without further ado...

What I Liked

• The Main Character (Evan) - Despite her flaws, I found her endearing. I also enjoyed watching her try to figure out who she really is and who she wants to be.
• It has a strong and cute romance develop, one I easily cheered on and supported.
• I liked all the future technology that I got glimpses of. (cool trains, restaurants, etc.)
• The differences between the Union and the Ruins (the world building). It was rather intriguing.
• I liked the story more and more with each page that I read. It was pretty much almost always interesting enough to keep me engaged. This made for a  pleasurable and quick read.

What I Didn't Like

• The pacing. During the middle of the book I really felt like the plot stopped moving forward. It didn't stall for long though.
• The book focused more on the romance than anything else and I was expecting a book more about fighting an evil government. Basically, I wanted more action.
• It didn't blow me away. Even though it had some unique elements, it wasn't an overly new dystopian.
• Although sometimes necessary, I felt like a lot of the book was made up of  just descriptions of people, places, and things. Sometimes I got tired of reading all of those descriptions.

The Bottom Line: I enjoyed The Union a great deal. It may have been more of a romance story than what I was expecting, but luckily I did like the relationship it focused on.  I do plan on reading the next book in this series. I see no reason not to.