This book could have been really good, but I didn't ever really see anything happen. Things started to pick up in the second half, but by then I had already lost interest.

I was on the blog tour for this one. I found that the book was good but not my favorite. I really love the collaboration between the authors though. I look forward to more books from the two of them.

The Raging Ones was an enthralling sci-fi read! I was immediately drawn into this futuristic world where everyone knows the day of their death and that is that, nothing to do about it.

“Be careful of how you die, my little Franny.” she told me. “You can set your terms but not the day.”

Told from the POV of the 3 main characters, Court, Mykal, and Franny, we are able to view this strange, futuristic world with fresh eyes and fresh perspectives. All 3 have such unique ways of life it made this such a delightful read. Told in 3 different POV’s you’d think it might get confusing but it was portrayed in an excellent manner and easy to follow who was who. Sharing a bond that goes deeper than just the fact they all dodged their deathday, Franny, Court, and Mykal are linked emotionally as well. That’s right, they can feel each others emotions. From the description of the novel you might think, oh great this is gonna be just another love triangle trope but you are wrong my friend, WRONG.

“Is it possible to know the core of someone without understanding the shell?”

With such an intriguing plot and complex characters I was on the edge of my seat the whole time wondering WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT, ARE THEY GOING TO MAKE IT, OHMYGAWWWWD. and also just a fair warning: CRAZY CLIFFHANGER ENDING.

I need the sequel asap please and thank you.

This is my first novel from this duo and OMG I LOVED IT! I am a big YA fan and this rocked my science fiction world.

This novel was unlike anything I have ever read before. We dive headfirst into the story and the world that these ladies created forms around you page after page.

The characters were thrilling and SO FUN, and the way they play off each other had them becoming a new favorite gang of mine. Things didn’t play out like I thought but I loved how everything was in this book.

THEN I GOT TO THE END AND I AM FULL OF RAGE. But not really. I am full fo want for the next book because it is going to be brilliant and Im going to bed for an ARC of it.

Being a fan of Krista and Becca's previous books, I've been looking forward to their YA release ever since it was announced and I am happy to say I love the experience I had reading this book. Its action packed, with a whole universe to explore, characters that make you feel, and a wonderful found family relationship. I would definitely recommend it to all YA readers and lovers out there

Originally posted on Forever Young Adult on 2018 August 20

BOOK REPORT for The Raging Ones by Krista and Becca Ritchie

Cover Story: Cover Not Final
BFF Charm: Eventually, Yay x2
Swoonworthy Scale: 4
Talky Talk: He Said, She Said
Bonus Factors: LGBTQ, Emotional Bonds, Fear Of The Unknown
Relationship Status: Solid First Date

Cover Story: Cover Not Final

Oh, wait, you mean this is the final version? Hmm. This doesn’t feel finished or very representative of the book. Yes, it’s a book about trying to get into space but space itself is very incidental until the end. And I see where they were going with the purple clouds (which block all sight of the sky), but it’s repeated many times that they are lilac clouds, and last I checked lilac is a light purpley-gray. If I were to make this cover, I would go with a white and lilac winter vibe, after the world they live in. Take notes, paperback version.

The Deal:

This is it for Franny Bluecastle. Her deathday is upon her. Seventeen years is not much of a life, at least not according to the Influentials (those who live past 29 and sometimes even into their 100s), and she’s spent her Fast-Tracker years working hard and playing hard. So it doesn’t come as a grand surprise that she’s going to die out in the cold, snow-covered streets by herself. But then, the day after her deathday…she opens her eyes.

Court Icecastle and Mykal Kickfall know Franny’s secret—because it’s theirs too. All three teens have dodged their deathdays with no sensible explanation why, but the simple act of still breathing has fundamentally changed them. They are in each other’s heads, able to feel one another’s physical sensations and emotions, right down to the food they eat and the nightmares they dream about.

Theirs is a harshly divided world between those who have time and those who don’t; those who will freeze in the never-ending winter and those who can afford to warm themselves with a product that covers their world in a perpetual smoky haze. Court knows that to live in this world beyond their deathdays would involve unpleasant outcomes like torture and experimentation. He has dreams beyond this dying world, to get himself and Mykal—and now, Franny, too, apparently—onto the Saga 5 space mission with StarDust (the world’s only technological agency that has the power to see beyond the smoke and find the stars). Can he make them into astronauts in time? And with all the secrecy surrounding this mission, it begs the question: just where exactly would they be going?

BFF Charm: Eventually, Yay x2



Court Icecastle got his name because he was in Vorkter prison, a place where most people go to die. Instead, he escaped and found Mykal Kickfall through their new and strange bond. Court is close-lipped about his past, and singularly focused on getting into StarDust to the exclusion of everything else, including people’s feelings. He’s a person with some trauma in his life, but his prideful exterior makes him a tough nut to crack.



On the opposite end of the spectrum, Mykal Kickfall is a sweetheart. He’s confident in who he is, and that is not a person who wears silks instead of pelts and uses a thing called a bread plate. But he knows what is at stake (see: their lives), and has spent two years trying his hardest to take in Court’s lessons about being an Influential so he can fool his way into StarDust. He accepts Franny right away and even cares deeply about prickly Court.

Franny is freewheeling at the beginning of the book. She had a very specific expectation for her life, and she has no idea who to be if she isn’t defined by dying at seventeen. She’s also saddled with two very intense (in very different ways) people who can sense her emotions and make her ribs feel creaky when they practice their hand-to-hand combat (on each other, the loons). But Franny’s rough-and-tumble life has made her fairly adaptable and non-judgmental, and more than a little lonely for true human connection.

Swoonworthy Scale: 4

You may be worried that this was a YA Love Triangle book thanks to this feelings-sharing between the three protagonists, but never you fear—there is none of that nonsense here. Mykal and Court have pants-feelings for each other, but it’s messy: they didn’t know each other until the link was already in place, and physical touch heightens the connection, blurring the lines between their sense of individual identity. Franny appreciates the trio’s bond in a purely platonic fashion, for which I was extremely grateful. She does get a few moments with another character that may build into something in the next book, but it was very early stages.

Talky Talk: He Said, She Said

It only makes sense to alternate viewpoints for each character when they’re already roaming around inside one another’s minds. Each person felt distinct, for the most part, and I liked the conflict that arose between the character’s inner intentions and their external personalities (their bond allows for them to sense feelings, so it can be impossible to lie to each other, but they can’t necessarily read each other’s private thoughts). This was a long book, and by the time it finished I was left feeling a bit perplexed when I tried to desribe it to my husband (boy, did he regret casually asking what I was reading). Was it a character study? Dystopia? Part sci-fi boarding school, part Tri-Wizard-Cup-style competition? So much time was spent on Franny, Mykal, and Court working on their new friendship and discussing how they would get into the Saga 5 selection pool that the book was already two-thirds over by the time it actually happened. Don’t get me wrong—I wasn’t bored during these quiet parts, or wishing it would hurry on, but it simply isn't a book that can be pinned down to one sort of thing.

My impression of this fictional world was filled in with pretty broad strokes; I didn’t feel there was any one area of knowledge that was particularly lacking, so I'm wondering if perhaps this was the point. I basically knew as much as the main characters, but I got the sense that there is a LOT more going on under the surface that will ultimately flip the script. The second book is where we’ll see if this was an intentional move on the authors’ part or…not.

Bonus Factor: LGBTQ



Not a lot of fuss seems to be made about sexuality in this society. The obstacles in Mykal and Court’s relationship are more about their strange link than anything external. I don’t even think it’s explicitly mentioned if both knew they were gay before their bond or if these feelings are new for either of them; they just are who they are, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Bonus Factor: Emotional Bonds



Learning that the authors are twins makes this emotional bonding plot device make a lot of sense. Twins are often said to have an unexplainable connection IRL and this seems like the authors’ way of exploring that in a sci-fi setting. Sometimes it sounds kinda cool, like when you are allergic to things and your partner isn't, so you can taste the sweet, sweet deliciousness of ice cream sans stomach cramps through them. But what if they hate the food you love? You'll try to eat it and feel them gagging; no bueno. Also, there are plenty of other downsides, like...they know what you're doing and feeling during sexytimes (the alone and with-a-partner kinds). Awkward.

Bonus Factor: Fear Of The Unknown



Franny is completely terrified of what life looks like now that she is going to live for an indeterminate amount of time. Is that car over there going to crush her? Will this rickety ceiling cave in on her head? Maybe this cheese she’s about to eat will choke her! It is kind of amusing (and, I suppose, panic-inducing) to realize how many ways you can die in a day, and that this is just how we normally live our lives. We’re so used to the low-level stress of danger that it becomes background noise (and I’m sorry in advance; try not to think about this too much or you won’t want to get out of bed tomorrow).

Relationship Status: Solid First Date

I’m not ready to scribble our names together inside a heart just yet, Book, but our first date was a good start. You took me to interesting places I’d never been and intrigued me with your quiet intensity. I’d be totally willing to give you a second date. Call me, okay?

Literary Matchmaking:



• Looking for more metaphysical and mental gymnastics between two hot teenagers? Sarah Rees Brennan’s Kami and Jared hear one another inside their heads and definitely did not ask for this particular (sexy) bond in Unspoken, the first in the The Lynburn Legacy series.

• Alexandra Monir’s book, The Final Six, also takes a look at the competition for a spot in a humanity-saving space mission.

• Jodi Lynn Anderson’s Midnight at the Electric is another book that starts off focusing on teens-going-to-space (Side note: Is this YA’s new vampires?) but ends up being a lot more about humanity and our connection to one another. Also, it’s just beautiful.

FTC Full Disclosure: I received my free review copy from Wednesday Books. I received neither money nor peanut butter cups in exchange for this review. The Raging Ones is available now.

I received a copy of this book for a fair and honest review. I was not sure how I felts about this book reading it. I had heard people talking about it and decided I had to get my hands on a copy and read it for myself. I saw there were two male and one female and thought I knew how this was going to turn out. Well I have to admit I was completely wrong. The girl is just a friend and happy to be so and often thinking that she is getting in the way of their relationship. The whole avoiding their deathdays was something that just caught me off guard. It gave me good feeling and excited for when the next book is comes out. Grab a copy it is amazing and happy reading all.

I absolutely loved this book!

I was on the edge of my seat through the whole book. The premise was crazy: everyone on the planet knows the day they will die. Everyone is ranked in society based on how long they will live. Those who live longer are given more opportunities because they will have more time to make use of their lives.

The three main characters survive past their death day, and they are emotionally linked. They can feel each other’s pain and happiness. Once Court and Mykal meet Franny, they include her in their journey to join a space mission, so they can escape the world that they don’t belong in. The question is, will they all make it onto the mission?

I had so many questions through the book. When I was getting close to the end, I was disappointed because I was still wondering about many things. However, all of my questions were answered in the last couple of pages! It was an amazing ending, and I wish I didn’t have to wait so long for the sequel! I have no idea what is going to happen next!

DNF after around 100 pages.

This is by no means a bad book. But it is not one that I'm particularly interested in reading.

I was drawn to The Raging Ones because the premise was really interesting. Unfortunately I found that I was left with a lot of questions about this world and not a lot of answers. Details were dropped with not a lot of explanation, and while sometimes I find that this works in books, here I found myself just feeling a bit lost and confused. I also didn't feel any real connection to any of the characters and honestly wasn't interested in what was happening to them.

Now maybe this book picks up but if I'm not invested enough after 100 pages to keep reading, it's time to move on.

If you are interested in the premise of The Raging Ones, then by all means give it a go! Hopefully it will spark your interest more then it did mine.

I took more time than I often do reading The Raging Ones. I don’t know if I wasn’t on the mood but the first chapters didn’t click for me. I love so much Becca and Krista’s books so I decided to stop, read other books and read it later.

I am so glad that I did it. I gave it another try and it ended up being a GREAT book! Five stars!

Even though this is a new gender of books, they kept their kind of writing, deep characters, full of emotions that we feel alongside them.

Wow!! Really full of emotions! Court, Mykal and Franny are intense characters and I can’t wait to read the second book in this series. The end of this one was really unexpected!

* ARC provided in exchange for an honest review *

This one was just not for me. I found myself putting it down quite a bit. It all came down to not connect with the characters, the story, and the romance that was happening.

It felt as if it took so long for this to actually happen that by the time they did, I was already kind of over it. I picked this up because of the premise of everyone knowing their deathday. However, I feel as if nothing in was explained. The world building was not there.

Also, I didn’t know that there was m/m romance in this book. I’m not against it, I just wish it would have been said in the blurb somehow just so I could have been aware of that.

I think YA might not be my genre for the moment. I'm not having much luck with it right now.

I stopped this book at about 46%. The premise sounded so interesting! I usually enjoy the "bond" trope. I'll usually pick up a book if it a bond is mentioned in the blurb. This just didn't do it for me.

I enjoyed the introductions to each character, but the book didn't pick back up until about 40% in. Before that, there was a ton of teenage angst, which may be okay for younger readers who identify with that, but it was too much for me. I was waiting for the space trip, but it took way too long to get there to keep my interest.

I do think the writing style was pretty good, I would most likely try this author again.

In "The Raging Ones" every person that is born is tested to find out how long they will live. From there, they are classified into extreme classes dependent on their marked death day. Three teenagers escape their marked death day and find out that through this experience, they are linked emotionally to each other.

I read about half of this book before having to put it down. I think that maybe it just wasn't for me. I really liked the overall plot. The secondary plot, of these three people 'escaping death' and then being linked emotionally was weird to me. I felt like it was a weird take on a love triangle? I really couldn't figure out their dynamic. It was hard to relate to these characters, and maybe it all went a bit over my head? I can't tell. I'm going to have to put this down for a while though and see if I have an urge to pick it back up.

When I started reading this, I thought the multi-perspective chapters - each narrated in the first person - would be frustrating and prevent any kind of emotional depth to the book, as has been my experience in the past (particularly with YA fantasy).

I was wrong.

Not only is the story clever and unique, so is each of the protagonists - they're well-developed and insanely likable, each with a story that will draw you in. As they grow together, it feels like a real journey of affection and tolerance; the lack of love triangle (thank god) means that we get to see the very real trials and nuances of friendship explored, keeping the characters realistic in a world that is alien and extreme (in a good way).

The story is brilliant, reminding me a little of Everless in the sense that lifetimes = currency and worth, but overall the whole book felt completely new and refreshing. And just as you start to get a feel for where the story's going... that twist ending hits you. Can't wait for the next book!

4★

An ARC copy of this novel was provided by the publisher via Netgalley*

What a ride The Raging Ones was! I loved reading from the three perspectives of the main characters; each of them brought a unique voice, which really helped move the story along.

Can't wait for the second novel in this duology!

I’m always hesitant to read a book that’s outside of the normal genres I read and The Raging Ones definitely fits that and it took me longer than normal to read. However, I love the authors and their other books and am always willing to read their work. I am very happy that I did. Krista & Becca Ritchie created such an intriguing world filled with some fabulous characters and a twist that I didn’t see coming. The more I read, the more I needed to know. If you are a fan of Krista & Becca’s work, or of the genre, definitely grab it up. You won’t be disappointed!

Krista and Becca Ritchie are identical twins who happen to be the authors of one of my favorite on-going family sagas so when I saw that they had branched out to try fantasy, I was all YES PLEASE THANK YOU! The book was published in August and I’ve had an advance copy for a while but honestly, I was scared to read it. I love these two so much (I get to meet them in March 2019 and I’m already fangirling like woah) and I didn’t want to read the book and be underwhelmed.

First line of the synopsis: In a freezing world, where everyone knows the day they will die, three teens break all odds. I was pretty much sold right there but here’s the rest.

Franny Bluecastle, a tough city teen, dreams of dying in opulence, to see wealth she’s never known. Like the entire world, she believes it’s impossible to dodge a deathday.

Until the day she does.

Court Icecastle knows wealth. He also knows pain. Spending five years in Vorkter Prison, a fortress of ice and suffering, he dreams of life beyond the people that haunt him and the world that imprisoned him.

Mykal Kickfall fights for those he loves. The rugged Hinterlander shares a frustrating yet unbreakable connection with Court—which only grows more lawless and chaotic as their senses and emotions connect with Franny.

With the threat of people learning they’ve dodged their deathdays, they must flee their planet to survive. But to do so, all three will have to hide their shared bond as they vie for a highly sought after spot in the newest mission to space. Against thousands of people far smarter, who’ll live longer, and never fear death the way that they do.

Sold yet? I won’t say much more about the plot but I will warn you the book ends on a cliff and we don’t pick back up until August. OF 2019. Not that I’m mad or anything. Cliffhanger aside, this book has everything. There’s drama, action, mystery, a tiny bit of romance and a whole lot of nail biting as Court, Franny and Mykal navigate their life in what is basically astronaut school. Oh and there are a few surprise guests along the way just for extra suspense. See, suspense too! This book has it all.

There was a huge sigh of relief once I finished because I wasn’t disappointed. It’d be super cool if they could just give me book two now but a year isn’t that long in the grand scheme of next fantasy books in a series (I’m looking at you George, Jim and Patrick). Four out of five stars. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

The Raging Ones is the first book of a duology. I was very excited to receive a copy of Krista & Becca newest release they have become one of my favorite authors and surely they did deliver with this new series.

The Raging Ones a YA Sci-fi tells the story of three teens that live in a planet where you know when will you die. They have three categories to identify them The Babes, The Fast -Trackers and The influentials. But what happens when Court, Mykal and Franny dodge their death day, what’s the reason and what will happen if someone finds out?

I really like the Raging Ones I admit it was a bit slow for me at first but as the story progressed I kept turning the pages for more. The characters are very interesting, Court a great leader, Mykal is so much more than what he and other believes he is and Franny is all around awesome. The bond the three of them share is amazing too but what I love more was the bond Court and Mykal share it was so amazing to read. Krista and Becca sure do create some awesome characters even the side characters were very interesting and the ending was something that make so much sense but didn’t see coming , cannot wait to see how the sequel will play out. This was a great read. If you are a fan of Krista & Becca or just a sci-fi lover. read It!!

I'm not totally sure how I feel about this book yet. I did like the overall concept of this dystopian future where everyone knows the day they are going to die. I loved the sci-fi aspect and our 3 main characters and their relationship with one another. This book really set it up for a interesting sequel. I have so many questions that need to be answered. I will say, however, the first half of this book seemed super slow to me. I get the world building and character development but it felt like it took forever for the plot to pick up. Overall, it was interesting and I am willing to see where this story goes.

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

When I was invited to read The Raging Ones by Krista and Becca Ritchie, I was reeled in by the synopsis alone as the cover wasn't that inspiring. That said, I am REALLY happy to have had a chance to read because I have never had so many emotions at once, which is apropos considering the conundrum the characters experience.

The prologue written from Court's, one of the three narrators, point-of-view, absolutely stole my breath away. It was just such a well written beginning that perfectly depicted the urgency of Court's situation, and states clearly he is not a Good Guy and is most definitely a Villain. I, a lover of all things villainous in fiction, fell in love. But then something curious happened the further I read. I believed him. I believed Court and I didn't fall in love, at least not with him. And this is a major credit to how the author's wrote the other two protagonists whom I absolutely did fall in love with. The characters are absolutely what carry and make this novel so powerful.

Franny, the light of my life whom I love and cherish, is a Fast-Tracker whom we first meet on her Death-Day. All inhabitants of this world are born with a death-day, the date they will each die. No matter what happens, if it isn't your date, you cannot die. You also can't live past that date. It lends to a certain efficiency and confidence in this world. And it just so happens to be the one comforting fact Franny has held onto her entire life. So, when she wakes up the day after her Death-Day, still alive and a bit worse for wear, it's not a miracle but a curse. Then, to find herself forcibly linked to someone she vehemently disagrees with? Worse.

There is romance in the book, but it's done well and it's so sweet I keep hoping it will work out because I just want Mykal to be happy and loved because he too is the light of my life whom I love and cherish. He and Franny are entirely the reason why my initial plan to fall in love with Court failed. They are too wonderful for me to root for the self-proclaimed villain.

Aside from the characters (whom I mentioned before carry this story forward), the writing is well done enough so that any surprise that happens in the book (and boy are there a few!), they genuinely do come as a surprise. However, the twists don't feel unmerited. They leave hints and inklings that you never realized were hints and inklings. There's only problem with this and that is pacing. The very start, after that impactful prologue, I felt... bored. There wasn't really that sense of desperation or any of the strong personality I expected. I almost felt like closing the book and picking something else up. However, once certain things begin to happen (I think Mykal getting the bills needed iirc), everything changes and the pace picks up and steadily increases along with the action.

Worldbuilding was interesting. I'd love to know more than the small tidbits we're thrown. What's going on with the sun and heat and animals? Will we learn more in the conclusion that is scheduled to be released next year? I hope so!

A sci-fi lite YA book that is character driven, The Raging Ones by Krista and Becca Ritchie is a fantastic starter/gateway novel for anyone looking to take a break from fantasy and hop into the stars.