So let me start off by first saying that I am honoured to have received an #arc of Untamed by Madeline Dyer, courtesy of @Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.

Untamed is part of an ongoing series depicting the battle between the Untamed (ordinary humans) and the Enhanced (super humans that are 'enhanced' with augmenters giving them superior strengths and powers). Throughout the novel, we follow the battle protagonist, Seven, has with herself. She is faced with the choice to be Untamed or Enhanced, with pros and cons for choosing either side. The survival of either race currently rests in her hands. With family on both sides of the trenches, who will she choose? Who would you choose?

I really like the idea behind Untamed. From the sleeve I had imagined it to be a 'Hunger Games' type read, but instead it was more on par with 'Walking Dead'. The book is probably pitched to the young adult audience and I think that many a teenager will enjoy the saga and constant battles. However, at this stage, I cannot say that I am a firm fan.

There were a few things about the writing style that distracted me from the book itself. One of the authors ticks, shall we say, is that she is forever having characters pass Seven a weapon but yet we rarely see this weapon being handed back to the person that ends up with it. I recognise this as one of my tells is to have my characters stand and sigh, and sometimes I haven't even re-seated them to repeat this action.

I also felt that there was an overuse of the characters names. Whilst there are quite a few characters, I felt that the author could have varied the text by giving them nicknames that she could refer to them by or descriptions. It felt to me as if she didn't have confidence in the reader to keep track of everyone unless she referred to them specifically by name.

My final irk is that specifically in chapter 35, we are told at the end of the previous chapter that a particular character is driving having taken over from another leading character, only for the author to forget this paragraphs later and have the original driver back in the hot seat. It made the writing seem even clumsier than I am able to explain.

The pace of the book was mundane. I felt like no matter how many people were engaged in a battle, they always lasted the same length of time, and in the spaces between consumed with filler information, they equally seemed of similar lengths. The drama lacked variation and everything else was all a steady read, when the climax finally took hold around 80% into the book, I felt like the impact had been lost.

All in all, I rate this book 3/5 stars. I think the story itself will appeal to young adult readers. The language is easy to follow and somewhat repetitive so could help with reading practice. I recognise that I am not the intended audience but yet I still feel there are flaws within the book that the intended audience will spot. I also feel that they may become somewhat frustrated with some of the over emphasis of certain details such as the whereabouts of a hidden serum on one's person, which incidentally is another occurrence of the author forgetting somethings previous whereabouts. There's enough in the cliffhanger to spark an interest as to what will happen next but I wouldn't quick march the sequel to the top of my #tbr pile.

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I love dystopian worlds so had to get this book after reading the description. This is a book that will pull you right in from the beginning.

(3.75)
I was super excited to be able to read this and it did not disappoint! I definitely got some Scott Westerfeld, “Uglies” series vibes but this was a whole different spin on a dystopian YA series mixed with a brainwashed Utopia.

The Untamed and the Enhanced, or as they call themselves the Chosen, are at a war with each other. The Untamed are known as “normal” people who are on the run and in hiding from the Enhanced for survival and to escape their one goal of converting everyone into an Enhanced person. The Enhanced are anything but normal, they are the perfect beings. They remove negative emotions by drinking tonics, and also have tonics that will increase their speed, strength, looks, and well anything they want. The Enhanced have 0 crime as they are perfect (right?) so they can’t be all bad, or can they?

Seven is abducted by the Enhanced and has started the conversion process, however she is saved by her own people. Throughout the story we follow Seven and her journey of evading the Enhanced and trying to figure out what her purpose is. However, she struggles with the want to go back to the Enhanced. I mean they have food, shelter, peace.. what’s not to want right? But she doesn’t know who is working with her and who is working against her.

I found that Seven is a very likable character, compared to some other MCs in dystopian novels. She struggles with indecisiveness which I can relate to even though I’m not under any kind of tonic lmao. The only negative trait I can see is that she can be oblivious in some certain situations, which is a bit frustrating for the reader.

The book in general was pretty good tbh. I was sucked into the story pretty early and I wanted to know more about this dystopian world. I didn’t like how predictable it was, but this is also the first of the series so I hope it gets better in that way. If you liked reading the Host, the Uglies series, and even possibly Divergent I would say give this a shot!

Thank you net galley and Ineja Press for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review ☺️

This is a good dystopian story. The story is very well paced and has very interesting storyline and good described characters. I also like the dark setting and the great writingstyle.

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the rest of the series.

Seven was really a heroine I could root for - she was imperfect, conflicted, and real. I could identify with her struggle to choose the easy way versus the way that meant more work and pain. Something almost everyone struggles with at one point or another.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes young adult sci-fi/dystopia.

I did enjoy the book, the story and action picked up quickly and continued all the way through. I wasn’t a huge fan though of how little some things were explained, like why is being the 7th seer a big deal? Maybe a little explanation of what the world is like?

Untamed is a science fiction set between two groups, the Enhanced and the Untamed both of which fight hard over a 17-year-old seer, Seven Sarr. Enhanced use a science element to eradicate every negativity of the human aspect to living a better life while the Untamed believe in the complete human experience. Seven, having gotten the taste of both lifestyles struggles through the book to find her standing and pick one side.

The book doesn't exactly have a plot on the outside but Seven and her group are on a continuous journey to escape Seven's predator. The plot is her inner turmoil and how through multiple incidences and choices she comes to an understanding and is about ready to pick a side when the book ends.

The book sure is fast-paced to the point of making you want to know what happens next because something always happens. Seven and her group is always just around the corner from being captured to entering into an action scene. If you like a page turned, this a good one-time read.

Even though devouring the book was easy, the book ended on a cliffhanger instead of a closure. New characters kept getting introduced until the very end. I kept felt like it would be better suited as a script than a book.

Yes, the blurb to the next piece is promising but it might be sometime before I pick up the next one.

Thank you netgalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This would have been a great YA dystopian novel of it weren't for the main protagonist Seven. Although she is part of the Untamed and has lost her mother she is eventually captured by the Enhanced and forced to feel no real emotions. The scenes where she attempts to fight them are difficult to read as her emotions are erratic and dramatic. I just couldn't form a connection with her and that ruined the novel for me.

Untamed is a fast-paced dystopia full of energy and action. For someone who constantly dives into fantastic/dystopian worlds, Untamed has a fresh theme of addiction, humanity, and emotion is told in an incredibly compelling way, could not drop the book. The setting of the book is a very interesting combination of new technology-driven society and ancient spiritual beliefs and rituals.
That being said, the main character"s inner struggles change very little throughout the book, and some plot twists are actually not that surprising. Still, it left me wanting more (thankfully we already have more of the series) and I will definitely jump into the next book as soon as I finish posting this haha.
I would recommend it for those who read the likes of Hunger Games and Divergent.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a DRC of Untamed in exchange for an honest review.

While conceptually, Untamed sounded right up my alley (a dystopia/sci-fi/fantasy mix with metaphors for social themes and issues? Incredible.) in execution, it just didn't work for me.

Not all stories need tension, but if you've managed to write a 'planet at war' story without any, we have a problem. My problem comes down to Seven, our protagonist. Seven is the most important person to our narrative and this world, but she controls very little. Scene after scene she actually passes out at the end of a chapter just to be pulled to the next place the plot needs her. Tension cannot properly be formed when none of the characters have any sense of urgency or impact on their lives because to me at least, tension is not just "I wonder if they'll be okay" it's "I wonder if they will succeed in being okay". A small distinction, but an important one. I can't root for a character who's actions are never allowed to truly mean anything.

Our love interest and 'big bad' were also too static to keep me intrigued. Dyer's writing is really good for the genre mashing story she penned here, but since I was unable to connect to any of the characters, If found this to be a rather boring read.

I found the concept of Untamed quite unique. Seven (named after the number of children her mother gave birth to) belongs to the Untamed - a group of people who rebel against the Enhanced - so called because of the augmenters they injest. Liquid augmenters have the ability to change everything - your beauty, make you calm etc - but they changed the appearance of your eyes - to have a mirror effect.

Seven begins her journey when her mother volunteers to become part of the Enhanced after an Untamed raid on an Enhanced town to stock up on supplies.

Seven is a likeable character and Madeline Dyer definitely puts Seven through her paces. Her story is richly narrated and the charters are really believable.
I look forward to reading the sequel.

The novel throws you right into the action, even from the first line. We follow Seven, a young woman who lives in this dark future where most of the population is addicted to mood enhancing drugs. The drugs, or Augmenters, can also make you more beautiful, stronger, faster, smarter… at the cost of your humanity. You feel no negative emotions, and your eyes glaze over with a mirror-like sheen. Those who are augmenter free live in constant fear of being converted, and are called Untamed.

After Seven is captured and then saved from the Enhanced, her life is constantly torn between the two camps. She’s addicted, to put it mildly. This makes her a fascinating character, as she tries to make the right decisions for her camp, while at the same time craving something she knows she mustn’t have.

The world that Dyer has created is just so dang fascinating. It’s a world in which not only we have these two opposing forces, but spirits are loose as well. Spirits that can influence Seven’s visions, or physically hinder the gang as they try to escape the clutches of the Enhanced. It’s pretty brilliant the way the author intertwines reality with these spirits, making you wonder just how they came into being and why they hold so much importance.

But I have to say what sol me on this novel was really the author’s effortless style. It’s perfect, making it easy to get sucked into the story and yet impossible to put down. I found myself eagerly turning the pages until I was outraged that there were none left to turn. The plot could easily have come off as being something seen before, but instead I felt like I was reading something entirely new, which plot twists I definitely did not see coming.

If you need a kick-butt story with amazing characters and outstanding world building, pick up a copy of Untamed. You deserve it.

This is book one in the Untamed series and it's fast-paced and gritty. gets quite dark in places, but I love stories about addiction. The blossoming romance between Seven and Corin felt very organic and well-done, and I can't wait to see how this progresses in the next book.