From the beginning i knew i was not going to like this book. The writing with poor, as well as the plot and characters. There was no life to the story at all. And just like the main character was described as blank, so was the entire book. Nothing kept me interested nor was there a desire to keep reading.

I received a copy of The Red Labyrinth by Meredith Tate from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was the first novel by Meredith Tate that I have read and I am pleased to have had an opportunity to find a solid new author through this advance copy!

The good: I found the novel to be well written and the plot was different from many other novels currently available. Even though this was a YA/fantasy novel, the underlying theme and romance (misdirected though it turned out to be) was not juvenile. I liked the world of The Red Labyrinth and the protagonist Zadie Kalvers. Although young and very much a victim of her world's society - Zadie is a Blank (no skills/powers) and the lowest of society, Zadie grows so much during the novel with each challenge and obstacle. You can't help but empathize with her.

The bad: my main critique was that the end of the story felt very rushed. It is obviously to set up the next novel, but I thought it could have been smoother.

*I received an ARC of The Red Labyrinth via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. *

It's been quite some time since I read a dystopia, and I would argue that The Red Labyrinth, while most definitely a fantasy novel, has some of those classic dystopian tropes. It was great to be back in a world with a corrupt system and a girl who feels powerless. Zadie is introduced as a helpless character, and it was great to see her become more confident and strong throughout the book.

However, it was hard to suspend my disbelief on some of the fantastical elements. Some were so bizarre and felt out of place in a world full of magic. I would have liked more time fleshing out the maze, its structure, its rules, etc., because it seemed like a place where anything could happen in a way that made the world lack cohesion.

Despite my issue with the world (a bit too zany without a common thread tying all the magic together), I did enjoy The Red Labyrinth. Maybe it's because I've read a lot of fantasy and dystopian novels, but I did think that the antagonist was a little obvious. The pages leading up to said revelation were done really well, and answered some of the questions I had since the beginning of the book. The ending was probably my favorite part of the book and left me anticipating the sequel.

3.5 Stars!

I would love to read book two of Red Labyrinth right now!

I really loved the story and practically flew through the pages. The author's writing style pulled me in, painting this world in vivid colors and creating characters that are real, flawed, facing struggles and hardships. Nobody is clearly good or bad, everyone tries to hide something.

The Red Labyrinth itself, it's traps, mechanisms and inhabitants are surprising, scary and affect the mind not only of the characters but also the reader's.
At least, it made me feel and fear with the ones navigating through it, because when a trap snaps it demands something unique from you.

From the protagonists introduced to us, I liked Zadie and Dex best. Zadie clearly is strong in her own way but it takes some time for her to realize that.
And Dex... he is something else that I won't give away because it would spoil the travel.

The Red Labyrinth is a clear 4.5 Stars read for me.
I fell in this world, got lost in the Labyrinth alongside the characters, and am hoping that book two is happening soon(ish) because that ending was cruel!

I received this book by request from Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

I was so excited to into this book and for the first half I was not disappointed. Tate wrote an interesting world with great characters and a good quest to get into. As the story went on, although, things started to drag on and got tough to slog through.

The world building in this book was actually quite simple, yet was very mysterious and interesting. It was a dystopian world that was easy to picture while the labyrinth towered in the background, unfathomable and shrouded in mystery. The isolation of the town adds to the unknown elements of the world. Is this our future, a different world, or something else? The familiarity of the plants and language gave way to the added magical elements, making them more believable and realistic.

The characters were pretty well done. Zadie was a likeable narrator with a thorough past. She has been through so much already and has to take on so much more. Dex is a great match for Zadie. He is dark and mysterious to match the labyrinth and complement her personality with wit of his own. I will say that most of the growing that the characters did was through flashbacks on their lives. I don’t feel that they changed much on their own, but rather the reader began to look at them differently as they learned more of what happened to Zadie and Dex in the past.

The lack of depth in writing was more prevalent in the plotline of the book. Once in the maze, the obstacles that were presented started out quite intriguing. As time went by, these tasks became a little ridiculous and unnecessary. A few of the tasks seemed to be added to lengthen the story. They had no real purpose and led me to an eye roll and mental thought of “another one? Really?”. The story then ended with a somewhat expected twist that led up to the lead in for book two. This could have easily been shortened and, depending on how much farther this story will go, might not have needed a second book. I did like the general plot line of this story and think I would like to continue reading this series. I only hope that things don’t get drawn out again to expand into a trilogy. This was an intriguing story that I think many will enjoy if they can hang on through the untreated writing.

I have never read anything by Meredith Tate. This is a dystopian fantasy novel set in a world where humans have died out. There is this small isolated town that is left called Trinnea. The world has been laid to waste and is nothing but desert. This town that has survived is comprised of mostly people that have abilities (levitate, good eyesight, good hearing, strength, etc.). The thinking behind this is that these people survived because of their abilities and that humans are inferior beings. The individuals that have abilities are called "Skilled." There are people that are born with no abilities in this society. These people are called "Blanks". Blanks are treated terribly. Most of them are cast out into society to fend for themselves. Some of them are used as slave labor. As a blank, you can buy your way back into Trinnea, but it costs a lot of money and most people cannot afford this.

Zadie, our main character, is a Blank. She spent years in slave labor and finally her family has been able to afford for her to come back into Trinnea. Because she's a Blank, she is still looked down on. Her best friend is Landon. Landon is known as Limitless Landon because he has infinite abilities. Skilled are classified by how many abilities they have. She has been friends with Landon since they were very young, and Landon is the only person who doesn't look down on her and treat her like she is nothing. One day, Landon goes missing.
There is a labyrinth. It separates the people from the leader's housing/mansion. This maze was built as the leader's defense so that nobody would be able to cross into his domain. This maze is occupied by several bad things, but one of those things is Dex. He is known as a ruthless killer. He comes and grabs people from the town, pulls them into the maze, and wipes their brains. He does not discriminate, he takes blanks or skilled. Zadie is sure he has taken Landon, and she must save him.

So, this book sounded AWESOME. The whole thing intrigued me. So, this book was very fast paced. This was a good thing at some points and a bad thing in others. It was slow when describing the world, etc. Then when it got interesting, it got so fast you couldn't even process what had happened before it zipped us into something else. Because of this, Zadie's feelings did not come across well, especially when she is faced with death. It was like "oh great, I am staring death in the face. No biggie. I got this." It didn't capture her fear well at all. It was almost like it was just another day in the neighborhood.

Also, there were several discrepancies in the world building. I can't tell you what these were without giving this away. But these were major discrepancies. I thought to myself "did she forget she said it was this way in the beginning?" So it made it confusing because of that. I think Tate ultimately made the world too complicated that even she couldn't keep up with it.

That's not to say that this book wasn't entertaining. It was, and I could not put it down. This is the first book I haven't been able to put down in awhile. Because of this, I gave it a 4. But, I think this book would have been so much better with better pacing.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the ARC.

Really fast read with some interesting twists near the end. Was a little annoyed that there wasn’t much character growth from Zadie until nearer the end of the novel, but if there’s a sequel (please tell me there’s going to be a sequel, because that ending, I just can’t) then I’m looking forward to seeing her build on what was started here.

I wasn’t sure what to expect out of this book, but I was definitely surprised, in a very good way!

Zadie lives in a world where you are tested for magical abilities - called skills - at the age of six. After a thumbprint determined that she had none, she was literally ripped from her mother’s arms, branded with a zero on both palms, and sent to live in the wasteland. Ten years later, she is back living inside the town after her mother sacrificed everything to purchase a pass for Zadie. However, Zadie still suffers from PTSD, her sister, Chantry, will no longer speak to her, and she’s considered a second-class citizen and bullied by those in charge. Worst of all, her best friend, Landon, gets trapped inside the Labyrinth. People who come out of the Labyrinth are never the same, if they come out at all.

I found the beginning rather confusing. The back story and world building happen gradually, so as a reader, you’re thrown into it without a lot of background information. However, the details immediately peaked my interest, and I thought the pacing was great. The character development happens slowly, too, and you learn more and more about Zadie, Landon, Chantry, Dex, and so many others. Zadie ends up being a lot stronger than she thinks she is.

I’m not sure if I should have seen some things coming, but I definitely didn’t, and the ending was a total shock, in more than one aspect. I just hope the author comes out with a sequel, so we can find out what happens next - there is a cliffhanger ending!

I did enjoy this but I found it quite slow to start, some of the characters weren’t padded out enough and you couldn’t connect because of it. Once I was halfway through I did enjoy it more and it picked up pace. I loved Zadie and the fact she is ordinary, no skills, no super strength etc. A good read but could be better.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

The Red Labyrinth is a bit different spin on a common premise, dystopian maze stories. The heroine, Zadie, is a blank, meaning she was born with no skills. In a society where skills are tantamount to social class rankings, she is a ridiculed outcast nothing. Conversely, her best friend, Landon, has what seems like innumerable skills. There sits a red labyrinth in their town. Blanks go in and don't come back. No one survives this monstrosity. Occasionally, Landon must go in and save someone, but Landon is skilled enough to do it. On the other side, sits a castle where allegedly their leader resides. One day, Zadie wakes up and people are nice to her. The townspeople also don't remember Landon. She knows the answers are on the other side of the labyrinth. So, in she goes. She encounters twists and turns and a surprise ending. Zadie is a sympathetic character. To be treated like garbage for something she has no control of, well, it sucks. She doesn't really show her strength and intelligence until she enters the labyrinth. She gains confidence and starts to realize she is not worthless. The world building is great. It's an intriguing place full of mystery. The writing is good and the story unfolds at a good pace. Dystopian fans will enjoy this book. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I want to thank Netgalley for providing me with an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book.
The red labyrinth is a young adult fantasy book about our main chapter Zadie.
She’s a very smart girl but unfortunately she was born unskilled and with no powers which means she gets treated terribly.
When her best friend disappears into the red labyrinth which is a maze built for protection zadie follows him.
However if you enter the maze you run the risk of going crazy or ending up dead.

Overall this book was really enjoyable. I loved our main character and her best friend Landon.
I would recommend this to anyone who loves a really good YA fantasy book as it has me hooked from page one.
I gave it 4 stars!

OMG!! Buckle up for an amazing journey with The Red Labyrinth. Zandie is an unlikely hero as she is a Blank, a nothing in her society. She has no skills, so she is a sub-human in her town/society's eye. Her mother and sister have skills, but not her. The town her "Limitless Landon" has many skills, and to her amazement is her BFF. However when Landon goes missing and the town people suddenly change, Zandie decides to face the Red Labyrinth to reach the town Leader, who is their god. However, no one has ever survived the Labyrinth. Can Zandie?? You'll have to read Red Labyrinth and see if she can survive the Devil of Trinnea, and the many traps of the Labyrinth. You'll be on the edge of your seat and wanting more.

This is a very up to date with current events book and things happening in life around us, it says things like all genders and speaks of same sex relationships and people who basically have kids with multiple people and not actually living with them and being with them. Honestly it caught me off guard because I wasn’t expecting it, I never read a book that speaks of things like this, it’s something I thought people were avoiding! But over all there was parts I liked and disliked about it.

This one was not what I expected. Some major twists and turns and not all were the labyrinth. Zadie was very likable and not whiny given her status as a blank. Dex we got to know quite well but still some things are still unknown. Landon we just got a taste in the beginning. Story does end on a cliffhanger.

I honestly have no idea what to say about this book other than I absolutely 100% loved it with every fiber of my being. I am one million percent excited for a sequel, even though this one hasn't even officially been published yet. It's definitely among my top five favorites of 2018, and I am beyond excited for others to read The Red Labyrinth.

I loved the world building. I loved the characters (although Zadie did frustrate me at times). I loved the tentative friendship that built between Zadie and Dex, and then that ending...ugh. I just can't.

I wish I could form a more coherent review for The Red Labyrinth, but I've been dwelling on what I've wanted to say for a few weeks now, and all I can say is this: I need more!

I received a copy.ofThe Red Labyrinth from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This book was brilliant! I really loved Zadie and her struggled of being a personal non grata in a society that values powers over anything.

Ugh, the Nadine story was absolutely heartbreaking and the stuff in the labyrinth was horrifying!

I love this book, I couldn't stop reading! It's a YA Fantasy adventure and while the idea is not new, I think the author gave a fresh spin to the maze story. Without spoiling too much, the main character is a girl who discovers her strengths after entering a maze that nobody dares to enter. Her world is turned upside down when she finds someone she didn't expect at the end..

The characters are good and realistic. You can really relate to them. I started rooting for the maze Devil Dex right away so I really hope there will be a sequel so I can read more about him!

Some pieces were a little confusing for me, in some chapters there was a flashback but I didn't really get that until I was halfway through the flashback. It's not too troublesome, though. I got used to it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC! These are my honest opinions! Review will be on Goodreads and my blog a week before release.

Unfortunately, this just wasn't for me. I really tried my hardest to get into it and keep reading, but I just kept stopping. The first few chapters didn't pull me in at all. Every character felt so one-dimensional. It didn't feel like there was anything special about that. The reomance in here is really forced, and I felt the book just tried too hard to make things happen. The Skilled vs Blanks dillema was interesting, but it just wasn't hitting me. I felt that at times it was forced as well. I also found the dialogue to be a bit unbearable. Just way too much talking and not enough acting or descriptions, especially in the beginning third. I did like the mystery of the labyrinth, the concept of this All Powerful Leader, and Dex. Those were the most interesting things to me in this book. While some things were enjoyable, I found that the negative outweighed the positive. This just wasn't for me, but it could very well be someone's fave book of the year. You just never really know. I don't see myself ever reading this again though.

ARC provided to me through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. Was great to start off the year with an enjoyable read. Strong characters, magic, scary monsters, and plot twists kept the pace moving along. Looking forward to what is next!

This book was pretty good. I enjoyed the premise and the characters were cool. At times I did get bored with it though.