The Raging Ones is the first installment in a young adult science fiction series that takes place in a world where you know the day you are going to die. The story is told from the point of view of three main characters - two male (Court and Mykal) and one female (Franny) - who have inexplicably dodged their death day and have a very special shared emotional bond. I know, you're thinking some kind of weird love triangle might emerge, but I was pleasantly surprised with the approach the authors took to the personal relationships among the three characters. Needless to say, when you dodge your death day, people come after you. When Court and Mykal come across Franny, they are in the midst of plotting their escape from the planet for survival. This plotting includes stealing, changing their identities, cramming, and learning to trust one another in ways they can never imagine to get a spot on a prestigious space mission crew. Really creative world building, story telling, and character development. My only real complaint is that I felt at times there might have been too much going on and the story could have been broken out into two books. Regardless, I found the story and characters very entertaining and I would definitely be interested in continuing with this series.

Hi, sorry but where is the next book? As my 3 year old says, "I need it lasterday!"

Wow, this was really spectacular. After a long dry spell of reading that left me feeling underwhelmed for the first 4 months of the year, I've hit a slew of excellent reads, all in a row. Every review I've read discussed an unexpected twist at the end, so I was both nervous and excited to find out just what that was, but I'll save discussing that until later in the review. Right now, I want to hit on why I loved the rest of the book so much.

The plot here is just so fresh and unique. I haven't read any of the Ritchie sisters' previous novels, so I have nothing to compare this book to, but from what I can tell this is new ground that they are covering as their previous novels are romance related. YA Sci-Fi can be a hit or miss for me; I either love it or I hate it. The reason this one was so great for me is very much the same reason that might make it not so enjoyable for other readers; instead of us receiving a massive info dump at the beginning of the book before the plot really takes off, we jump right into the story and receive information about this alternate universe as we go. It does take the world-building aspect in a new direction and leaves the reader in the dark for a good portion of the novel, but this filled me with a sense of suspense that I usually find lacking in this particular genre. There's a very good reason as to why this is done, and if you can hang on for the ride, I think you'll find the pay off is worth the initial bizarre storytelling technique.

I really love the characters here as well. I was so certain this was going to be another *gasp* cheesy love triangle, but... it wasn't. In fact, these characters are taken in an entirely different direction than I expected and was pleasantly surprised by how the personal relationships between them developed. There's a lot of emotion infused in the story, and it's thought provoking themes gripped me just as thoroughly as the action and suspense sequences. Throw that in with the completely unexpected twist on the final page and my jaw hit the floor. I was at a 4 star rating throughout the entire novel until that last twist, and I felt I couldn't give The Raging Ones anything less than 5 stars after being so fabulously duped. And that's all I'll say about that, MMKK? If you enjoy YA Sci-Fi but are tired of the same plots and tropes being used, give this one a try. I picked this up on a whim last night and read it in one sitting; I didn't even have a chance to add it to my currently reading shelf because I blew through it so quickly. Just go in knowing that you'll be desperately salivating for the next book because DANG IT THAT CLIFFHANGER!!!

I've many mixed feeling for this one, so let me state this clearly from the start: the four stars are just for the end. Because the moment I ended up finishing the book, my first reaction was: I cannot believe that I've to wait 2019  for getting the end of this.

For the rest, The Raging Ones is one of those novels that fall directly under my usual three star rating, meaning a book I liked one way or another but I wouldn't list in my absolute favorite. Yet, sometimes it happens that I realized how much I actually like a first book when I read the sequel. So, in general: I love the series.

I have no idea how things will go for this novel, but my mixed feeling are disseminated a bit all around the book and those are usually question.

Let me start with what I liked, before digging into all my "I've so many interrogative points".

It's about the character. First of all is a diverse cast, and this not only impacts the main character but also the side one, even if in terms of race, because of the world's background, we cannot relate them to our in real life cultures and ethnicity. On the other side there's also a side gay romance, since this time the romance doesn't take over the plot. And also it's worth talking about the fact that a friendship between a woman and a man is represented, without making it strange for some reason. Plus, despite the blurb may suggest it, there's no love-triangle.

Franny, Mykal and Court all share the link that bond them over the fact of surviving their death date. All the three of them are complex voices that grow and change during the narration, all coming from different stories and background but equally brutal. I particularly liked Mykal, because... oh, please, he's the giant boy who is a sweet cinnamon roll that kills. Just precious.

Franny was another sweet character. While not as much as her general story speak to me, a lot of her narration was based on growing up and discovery, questions and answers, finding a meaning, trying a new life for surviving. Finding people whom she can trust and befriend. She's sweet on her own way and definitely hurt. All her fears were human and profound.

Court.... oh, well, Court. I don't actively dislike him but he was deeply rude and cruel for no valid reason. And also quite offensive. At the same time a lot of him resonate with the character he's. It was beautiful to see the growth, the bond, how much in the end he was tangled with his companions' life.

Also, I started to get attached with the secondary character (that's me™) and I cannot wait to get more of them. I'm sucker for a kind of sweet end when everything goes right, and when the squad get together, and I'm the greatest sucker for the vent in which they all work and help each other. I'm definitely waiting to see that in the next novel and I hope I will not be disappointed.

Now, my first concern is the topic around the drug use. The world in which the protagonist move is definitely not nice. The whole society is shaped around the fact that the day in which people died is signed since the start, and the category of Fast- Tracker (people who die in their teens or a bit over twenty) is kinda defined by tattoo cold-blooded animals, determinate habits and the drug use is quite common (or so looks like). And one the characters, Franny, use a type of drug. This doesn't happen for the whole book, in fact Franny get off the drug, but I didn't catch talking about addiction that deeply. Maybe the drug in the planet work in a non addictive way... but that just a huge hot take or the topic wasn't not handled that well.

I've many other questions about the world itself. A lot the religious lore is really fascinating but I had hard times getting things. Only when the book proceed more and more into the plot, I started to understand the planet on where they lived, how things worked a bit in the space. Some details kept missing until the end and... I cannot say more.

Still, the first impact with The Raging Ones was a bit complicated because I kept trying to figure out if the protagonist where on Earth or an alien planet. Why the world kinda resembled Earth but nothing confirmed or answered suspicions and questions. The situation of society, gods' conception, classes, changed from side to side of the planet where the story take place.

Everything was constructed kind of like a puzzle. Thanks to the protagonists' life and narration, the reader can get pieces of it. But I still feel like I spent not enough time inside to understand how things started. It's also true that years like ours are passed since long time. Long time like eras. So it's pretty normal that the world is quite changed and that can mean confusing too.

Another not-so-okay thing was the narration. At some point I was legitimately confused. Okay, English is not my mother language, so it's normal if sometimes not everything works out perfectly. But during the read, there were moments in which the narration skipped from the present time to old memories , from a zone to another in the same chapter and I didn't feel neither catch the change.

The Raging Ones is a fast paced sci-fi, with little clues that introduce the reader directly inside the world, without giving too many explanations if not the ones that are more needed. All the rest is up to the reader decoding or will to explore a planet with a purple sky.

In a world where everyone knows their deathdays, there are no surprises. Franny, to her surprise, wakes up the day after hers, alive and well and now connected mentally to two boys, Court and Makal. After the boys find her,they seek to ready them for passage on a ship, to leave their planet, in order to survive. Franny learns to accept that she really is alive and will not know her death day before, Court and Makal explore their sexual tension and they also meet some people from their near or distant past along the way.

This novel was a bit so so for me. I found many parts to be kind of boring. Some parts were engaging, and others just awkward and weird. The writing was also just okay. Nothing special, but not terrible.

There were a number of parts I just wanted to stop reading, so it took some willpower to get through. Just not the book for me unfortunately.

Reading a truly original story is something very special nowadays. The Raging Ones was special. The novel was unique from beginning to end - especially the END!!!! Remarkable, spellbinding and fascinating, I didn't want it to end, especially not after such an epic ending.

I deeply cared about Mykal, Court and Franny. They had an absolutely unique relationship that fascinated me from the very beginning. I'm beyond amazed by the authors imagination and creativity. Again and again I caught myself being astonished by events, and surprised by certain twists and turns.

And OMG the ending - I did not see it coming. The ingenuity, and originality left me speechless.

What I loved the most, was that all three characters were mature and genuine. And the connection they formed, forged a bond that was distinctive, touching, and heartwarming. I literally felt their bond. It was tangible, and it shone like a beacon throughout the entire novel.

Actually the entire concept of this novel was fascinating, and utterly addicting. TRO is a change of genre for the authors, and for that they did an amazing job. The world building was impeccable, and as I mention the plot was masterfully crafted.

But I must admit it took me a little to get into the story. Mainly because I needed to become comfortable with the premise and to warm up to the characters. It was almost like I was the forth entity in this relationship. All of us needed time to get to grips with what was happening and to warm up to the idea that everything changed and none of us new what was to come. Now, after finishing this book, I'm left wondering, hoping, cheering, and waiting until book 2. I have so many questions that need to be answered, and I can't wait to see what will happen next.

Book 2 will be one of my most highly anticipated books in 2019 and I'm counting the weeks until I'll meet Court, Mykal and Franny again.

Plot: The Raging Ones attracted me because of its unique premise but it completely failed at execution. What made this such a hard read was that there was no introduction to the characters or their situation. Backstories were explained slowly throughout the book, but it was frustrating trying to understand previous relationships while following the new plotline of testing for a space mission. After a while, I just got bored and started skimming the end. The ending had a fun little plot twist, but not intriguing enough to make me pick up the second book.

Characters: This novel is told from the perspectives of Franny, Mykal, and Court and all three of their perspectives blended to me. There wasn't anything really definitive to tell the voices apart. The one aspect I did like was how intrusive the shared bond was and how each character reacted to it. I was expecting a more emotional romance because of that level of intimacy but found it lacking.

Worldbuilding: The Ragin Ones took place on a planet that was slowly icing over which was a neat backdrop. I was disappointed that the authors waited so long to explain some key aspects of the world (family dynamics, religion, etc) which made it difficult for me to understand.

Short N Sweet: The Raging Ones was a disappointment because it didn't properly prepare the reader to enjoy the world, nor were the characters interesting.

The Raging Ones by Krista and Becca Ritchie was a surprise. I am not normally a sci-fi person. I do enjoy it, but it never really grabs my attention that much. But this book just exceeded all my expectations. I literally could not put it down. The world-building, which was a big thing in this book, was amazing and unique. The purple sky setting sounded mesmerizing. The concept of knowing when you are going to die from the moment you were born was super interesting to me. Another thing that I enjoyed immensely was the characters and their relationships. Reading about them trying to navigate and understand the bond that they have was so much fun. Mykal and Court had the most sweet relationship, and I found myself grinning during their scenes together more than once. I also really enjoyed meeting and learning more about Franny, and seeing her relationship with the boys develop as the story progressed. Overall, this book delivered a fast-paced and intriguing story with super lovable characters, and I cannot wait to read the sequel and find out what will happen to these characters after the mindblowing cliffhanger ending.

I give this 3.5/5 stars...
The beginning of this book dragged for me, I was not as interested as I should be. I found myself not caring too much about the characters and what they were going through. However, about half way into the book I was more into the story and the things that were happening got more interested and I found myself eager to finish the story. Of all three characters I really liked Mykal the most, I think that his love for Court and Franny and his desire to protect them is what I would do.

https://booksensationlife.wordpress.com/2018/07/26/the-raging-ones/

I think the plot had a lot of potential, but I didn’t connect with the characters and there was no world building at all, which made it confusing because it was set in a weird society that was so obviously different in how class systems were set up. I needed to know more and was never given a true picture of the society.

The characters were linked together and could sense each other, which could have worked well, but seemed strangely awkward.

I kept reading in hopes that things would be explained, but then the characters went off on some starship academy and I only felt more confused at that point.

The plot has so much potential and I really wanted to love this book, but the execution wasn’t good and it was tough to get through.

I don‘t read much sci-fi/fantasy books in English, I usually prefer to read those in my mother language but I LOVE Krista and Becca Richie (their Addicted series is one of my alltimefavs) and after reading the blurb of the „Raging Ones“ I just knew, I had to read Court, Mykal and Franny‘s story.

I haven‘t read anything like their story before and I loved that. These 3 stole my heart. Their connection is so special and unique and their journey a roller coaster of emotions and adventure.

An amazing book wonderfully told by these two great storytellers.
They have a way with words and create these beautifully flawed characters that make your heart hurt in all the right ways.

We found each other in the winter wood. He threw his arms around me like I'd been his long-lost friend. I hugged him like I was meeting my soul again. There are some moments and some feelings that I can't even explain. I'm a young man of medicine and science and logic, but the sentiments I wield for Mykal transcend all three

5-stars-loooooved-it ♡

I found it hard to connect with this story from the beginning. This was just not my cup of tea. The suspense was there but I was not captivated by the storyline.

This sci-fi book is incredible!! Told from alternating point of views, the story follows 3 characters who have dodged their deathday. Franny, Mykal, and Court live in a world where everyone knows the exact day they will die. Except when their day arrives, they wake up the next day. Only now, for some unknown reason they are linked. Meaning they each feel the other's emotions. Court's (he is the leader of the group) only goal is to be accepted into a space mission that will hopefully send them all away from their home planet where they fear their secret could get them sent to prison. The plan seems to work for a time, until Court's past starts to catch up to the little group. And there's a very unexpected twist at the end that left me speechless! I'll definitely be continuing the series!

This by far was the strangest, most intriguing book I have read in a while. 3 Teenagers, on another planet, in a different universe, are somehow mentally linked and escape their 'death days' and need to keep it secret to avoid becoming science experiments. It wraps some things up in the end but leaves a major, shocking cliff-hanger that will leave your jaw on the ground. References to intimacy scenes. Reader discretion due to violence. References to "gods".

The Raging Ones has three points of view: Franny, Court, and Mykal. They live in a world where everyone knows the day that they will die. To not die on the day determined for you is unheard of, but somehow all three of them dodge their deathdays. As each one of them dodges their deathday, they find themselves mentally (and somewhat physically) linked to each other. For better or worse, they can feel what the other two feel.

Dodging their deathdays puts them in danger, so they all work together toward a particular goal: Being away from their planet so no one discovers their secret.

The world building and characterization in The Raging Ones are spectacular, but I'm not surprised because of who the authors are. I will read anything Krista and Becca Ritchie write, and this book did not disappoint! I do want to say though, for fans of Krista and Becca's other books, this one is completely different than their others due to the sci fi aspect. But I would still advise them to give this a shot.

My only criticism is that I can't believe I have to wait so long for the second book!

Review copy generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

The Raging Ones is addictive, jarring, witty and utterly FANTASTIC. This was my 70th book of the year and it is by far one of the best.
"You're a hallucination."
"Will you let your hallucinations carry you out of the cold? Will you let your hallucinations help you?"

First things first, if you read the book description and thought: "Ugh. Another love triangle." Well, let me just tell you. Jokes on you. The dynamic between the three main characters is so deep, it transcends your typical love triangle trope. Don't get me wrong, there is romance, there is angst, there is so. much. tension. And it is almost all GAY. Seriously, some of my favorite romances as of late have been 100% gay or even M/M/F and this book absolutely did not disappoint.
"You keep saying that you make my life dismal and bleak. But my world never felt as bright, as worthwhile and full, until I met you."

On Franny, Court and Mykal's frozen planet, everyone knows the day they will die. This is just the way life is. Those bound to die as children may be loved by their families but their worth isn't given a spare glance. Those who live to thirty and beyond are afforded every luxury in the world. And those that will die as young adults tend to bury themselves in drugs, sex and lawlessness. Nobody can quicken their deathday. Nobody can dodge their deathday.

Except Franny, Court and Mykal have lived to see their deathdays come and go. Now they find themselves inexplicably linked - their senses, their emotions, they share a bond that can only be strengthened.
"I go still with him. His hurt is my hurt and my hurt is his hurt. There's no way around that, and in this silent moment, we both concede."

The Raging Ones is fast-paced, imaginative and had me floored on numerous occasions. With a mix of everything: fantasy, science fiction and romance - it will please readers of every genre.

The world painted by the authors is a bleak one. Crippled by a freezing environment, the people burn a mineral called casia for warmth, leaving the sky a constant shade of purple. Nobody has seen the sun in years. Nobody has seen the stars in years. But Court has a dream to do just that, but cannot do it without Mykal and Franny by his side.
"I accept that you're the most complicated, cold boy I've ever known."

This book literally went from giving me Six of Crows vibes to Illuminae vibes and left me reeling with thoughts of "How did the authors do this?" Court is an intricately complicated character, reminiscent of Kaz Brekker. Franny is nothing like your typical YA female lead - she is unabashedly blunt, but thoughtful and caring. Mykal is my cinnamon roll of the bunch, he is unselfish, funny and loves fiercely. Each of the main characters is self deprecating in their own way, but through their shared bond, they lend each other the strength and drive to do the impossible. Having passed their deathdays, their only option is to blend in with the upper echelons of society and Court teaches Franny and Mykal to do just that. However, they come to find that shaking their past isn't as easy as fancy clothes and smooth talking. Suspicions arise and some will stop at nothing to discover their secrets.
"You'd sooner believe you're dead that believe I'd help you?"
Yes.

AND THAT ENDING. I DID NOT see that coming. Not from a mile away and it blew me away.

I requested The Raging Ones on a whim, having never read anything by these authors and not knowing what I was getting myself into, past the super intriguing premise in the description. I will absolutely be reading more by these authors. I loved their writing style and cannot wait for the sequel to The Raging Ones! This a must read for fantasy and science fiction lovers alike!

Guyssssss. Sometimes it's really hard for me to get into sci-fi because it's just too...much? If it gets too technical and there are too many made up words/things it starts to not make sense to me.

The Raging Ones is simple, but I don't mean that in a bad way. The story is told from three different POV, those of the main characters Franny, Court, and Mykal.

Court and Mykal are linked through their senses and feelings, for some reason neither one of them understand. All they know is that they both dodged their deathday and they became linked. As the two of them are on a mission to earn cash to get them into StarDust, they feel Franny.

Soon enough they fall into a routine, the three of them. The become friends, in a way. Mykal is a bear of a boy, with a soft inside, while Court is the complete opposite. It's obvious he's the brains of the operation and the other two just seem to be along for the ride. I know they all have the same thing in mind and they are all worried about people finding out about their problems, but I couldn't really find a lot of feelings for Mykal. Franny grew on me, but Court is the only one who truly has a troubled past.

Court was easily my favorite character and he clearly carries the other two. Their relationships are complicated and it was fun to see the different ways they interacted with each other. Court is rough and I loved seeing how he let the others in.

The action is good, if not a little glossed over. The story definitely focuses more on the relationships and plot than all of the action.

The ending was all sorts of crazy, confusing action however. When things come crashing down for Court the other two are there to help him and to save him. There are also a few fun characters that help and hurt the trio. You'll love and hate them.

And you'll be on the edge of year seat after the ending. I know I was was.

So. When does the second book come out?

Scheduled to post 8/14/18 with the blog tour.

I think the concept of THE RAGING ONES is interesting, but it has some gaps. Like really large ones. Mainly with the connection that Court, Mykal, and Franny all share. They've basically merged beings. They occupy three separate bodies but they share the same everything else. If one gets hurt, they all feel the pain (without the physical repercussions). If one eats they all taste it. If one yawns they all yawn without having to look at each other. But they don't share thoughts. Feelings, yes. Thoughts, no. So when it comes to cheating on a test they need to tap out physical responses or trace lips so they can feel the answer and pick up whatever the other person is saying. Yet if someone is having a strong enough emotion it can wake one of them out of a dead sleep or completely distract them. It effectively provides them with no privacy, but only when it's necessary for the plot. They can actually feel when the other is having sex. They can read if one of them is enjoying it or not. But thoughts elude them? It's just . . . really convenient when the plot needs to advance and really inconvenient when the plot needs tension and makes for a rather inconsistent application of this "ability." Everything ties into the brain, and when they link they're linked for EVERYTHING, but not for mind reading of thought reading (yet they can taste and smell what each other is smelling, and feel what each other is feeling, both physically and mentally).

So I had issues with the application of this ability. And it raises other questions, like do they really like each other or is this connection so deeply ingrained that survival of one is simply survival of themselves? They bond over this shared rare ability to live past their death days, but they also immediately like each other too. There are just a lot of conveniences going on around this ability that serves the plot a little too neatly for my liking.

There's also not a lot of explanation for the world going on. And when you do get some explanation real world applications start applying and I couldn't help but ask all the whys and hows. Basically the solar system has been colonized and renamed for some reason and people are occupying more planets than earth and the one the story takes place on is a frozen wasteland (but colonized) existing under a cloud of purple haze (not the weed). They've found a way to determine the day in which a person will die using this blood-reading device and the world created a caste system as a result, aligning the focus of their resources on those who are going to live past 30 and screw everyone else. Some of those "fast trackers" perform some function in society, usually catering to those living longer. But everyone else is basically a druggie who's living life to the fullest until they die. Really if they were that concerned about resources those deemed as providing very little to no function to society would probably be killed at birth instead of "wasting" already limited resources on those slated to die young anyway. But then again people are physically incapable of dying until their death day. No clue how that works.

The story is Court, Mykal, and Franny trying to get into this space program so they can protect themselves and leave the planet because if anyone found out they survived their death days a number of unthinkable things would end up happening to them. Probably science experiments and the like.

I liked the characters that the Ritchies created. Definitely relatable and resilient with great backstories and excellent character development. The story itself is okay. Engaging enough. I wasn't bored reading any of it. A lot of it centers around the characters themselves, which is rarer in YA. Most of the story takes place while going through the program training so there's not a ton going on action-wise outside of that. Usually I don't like the more character-driven stories but this was okay. But there was a lot going on with the world that didn't make a ton of logical sense to me that did draw me out of the story and kept me at a distance. I didn't hate THE RAGING ONES. In fact I liked it enough that if the sequel does eventually make its way to my lap I would read it just to see what happens. But I'm not losing my mind over getting my hands on it.

3

A couple things the Ritchie twins do amazingly well without fail are world building and connecting characters. The Raging Ones is no exception to this fact. Franny, Court, and Mykal are three characters living in a snowy, cold, violet smoke clouded world, where everyone knows the very day they will die. Each of our mains have reached and survived that day. Which SHOULD be an impossibility, but for them... it was not. On top of all that, once they dodge their death day, they become connected to each other through some sort of unexplainable hybrid emotional mental physical bond. Three people who were living lives that should not have brought them together, and yet here they are. Together and bonded in more ways than one.

I can’t say that any of them are stand out as the central main. I think all three of them are the central characters, and each of them has a goal. Court wants to flee the planet to keep them and their death day dodging secret safe. Mykal wants to please Court and keep Franny safe. Franny wants to live whatever is left of her life hard, fast, and full. I loved seeing how the characters relationships were and how they grew during the story. I’m going to spoil a bit and say this is not a love triangle at this point, and I’m not sure it ever will be. It is however an unique relationship made even more unique, because of the bond. Can’t wait to see how things play out in the future. I have my hopes, but who knows where things will go between the three.

Along the way to our characters trying to reach their goals we meet a smattering of side characters. There are some you will love, some that will stump you, and some you will hate without a doubt. I think the authors did a great job giving you just enough of the side characters, that will keep you guessing. I ended up falling in love with one and his story already feels so tragic. I can’t say why... but ugh. I can’t wait to see where that side story may go.

I don’t want to say much more, because I think you need to actually read things and see what happens. What I will say is this book is book one of what I assume will be an ongoing series. It was a set up for the world, the ongoing plot, and establishing relationships between the main and some between the side characters. Which also means that at times the story was a bit slow for me. The authors DO throw in many moments where there’s action and some suspense, but once those are over there’s more info dump. Which is understandable in a first book, but if those aren’t your favorite this may be a hard read. ALL that being said, the last 20% is AMAZING and makes the world building and info dumping in the first parts of the book very worth it. So I would PUSH through, because the payoff is WORTH IT!

That ending. SO UNEXPECTED! I would have never in a million years guessed that’s where the story was headed. I easily made so many assumptions based on the first parts of the book.

I’m excited for the rest of the series. To see how the relationships will play out. To get answers to WHAT exactly is going on, and why exactly our mains have their connection.

2.5 stars.

*

The Raging Ones is a somber YA Sci-Fi novel with a unique premise and really interesting world-building. The pace is steady, if a little slow, and the concept surrounding the narrative grasps your attention right away. The relationships between characters are definitely the highlight of the story.

Krista and Becca Ritchie tackle a new genre with this novel. The series has potential, but the undevelopment of characters and the lack of a distinct voice in the three main narrators hurts the plot a bit. There are quite a few well executed twists along the way, which lend some deserved tension to the story.

I’m not really sure how I feel about this one? The overall somber atmosphere of the novel made it a bit difficult for me to read through it. It kind of dragged me down, personally, and turned what could be an amazing story into a… bummer, at times.

The relationships really are my favorite thing about this. I love how K&B developed the connection between Franny, Court, and Mykal and how much weight there is to it in regards to the plot. And the queerness of it all lights up my heart.

So it’s a weird mix that the characters aren’t that well developed. The side characters are only fleshed out if it’s somehow relevant to the plot at a specific time, so there isn’t a slow progression of it. More like a slap in the face. And the internal monologue of the three narrators — Franny, Court, and Mykal — sounds the same. There isn’t much distinction between them aside from the chapter headers, so it kind of feels like reading about the exact same character that sometimes has different names.

The ending is really great! Aside from it being a cliffhanger. The final twists is totally unexpected and takes you by surprise, as well as sets up a pretty interesting situation to follow in book two. It also kind of breathes new life into a story that is a bit hard to get through due to its grim atmosphere.

In the end, The Raging Ones has potential but it fails to make its characters unique. The premise and world-building are really well presented and developed, especially in the form of plot twists along the narrative. The novel doesn’t quite work for me, but YA Sci-Fi fans should definitely give this one a try.

Many thanks to St Martin's Press for providing me with an E-ARC of this book to review via Netgalley.  

In the world within The Raging Ones, everyone knows the day they will die.  Some are "Babes", those who will die before they are 8 years old, some are "Fast-trackers", those who will die before their early twenties and some are "Influentials", those who will live to an old age.  Fast Trackers and Influentials are worlds apart - due to the fact that they will not have enough time to influence the world, Fast Trackers are denied education and only have jobs of a menial or laborious nature offered to them.  They live 'fast', cramming as much partying, drugs and sex into their short lives as they can.  Influentials are offered top education from an early age and nurtured into the best jobs and lifestyles.  

Franny knows she will die at 17, it is on her "deathday" card.  But she doesn't die.  Her deathday comes and passes, with her still alive.  The same thing has happened to Court and Mykal - strangers who met when a bizarre emotional and physical connection drew them together.  They have been working towards passing themselves off as Influentials (instead of the Babe and Fast-Tracker they were born to be) so they can try out for a secret mission into space.  When Franny finds herself connected to the boys in the same strange way, they all decide to try out for positions in the space program together, to avoid anyone finding out they have dodged their death day.

While fighting for a place in the program and attempting to understand their connection, they also need to deal with the fact that they now have no idea when they will die.

One of the things I loved most about this book was the lack of a love triangle!  Two boys and a girl and it wasn't about the boys fighting over the affections of said girl!  Instead, it's made clear very early on that the boys share a romantic connection and Franny is absolutely content to be the close friend and nothing more.  What a rare find in a YA book!

I found the whole premise of the book really intriguing and I love a book that can make me ask myself how I would feel in the situation.  How would it be, knowing the day you will die.  Knowing you only have a short amount of time, or forever?  Would you waste it?  What would be the point of aiming for any sort of dreams if you knew for a fact that you'd be gone before you realised them?   Franny's fear at suddenly not knowing when she would die - that it could be at any time even made me feel anxious for her, regardless of the fact that that's what we live with every day!

I thought this book was great, the world building was beautiful and I'm really looking forward to the sequel.  The only reason I hesitated to give it a full five stars was due to a couple of things that bugged me.  Court makes several references to the fact that he was in prison from very early on in the book, and it keeps leading up to finding out why (he is too scared to tell anyone because it is so terrible), then, when we did find out, it was kind of...stupid?  Parts of the ending just felt a bit too convenient and there were a few other things I felt needed more explanation, but they're hard to explain without spoilers!  But all round it was a really fun, fast paced and engaging read!