Great dystopian novel! I know my high school students are going to gobble this one up, and I predict it will be super popular in my library.

First, thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for an advanced copy of "The Q" in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Okay, now onto it. I desperately loved this concept! I wanted to like it so bad! For me, it ended up being just all right. The pacing was incredibly fast; in fact, it goes so quickly, I don't have the opportunity to invest in the characters, and by the end, I was just like, "Okay, cool." I closed the book and haven't thought about it again except to write this review. The characters are promising but never fleshed out enough for me to be invested in their storylines, anxieties, dreams, etc. If it were like 60-80 pages longer, given time to develop more, etc., I think it would have been a different, fuller world.

All in all, this one didn't really do it for me. If you want a very fast read, an in-and-out adventure with an amazing premise, are more for action than character or world development, you'll probably like this a lot more than I did.

3/5

I loved the Reboot series and I wanted to love this one but it kind of reminded me of the Murder Complex but not in a good way. I was kind of bored with the start of this one as it made me feel like I was in a pod cast. I thin that it would have worked better as an audio book. Now if this ever gets turned into a movie sign me up!!

I'm so pleasantly surprised by this book! I've never read a book my this author and had no idea what to expect doing into this. Going in blind was great! The pacing was great and there were never any boring parts of the narrative. I also really liked the two main characters. They were funny and felt like real, flawed people. It was absolutely refreshing. Though the world was confined to The Q, it didn't feel overly small or isolated. I got a good feel for the world outside of the zone and the worldbuilding worked for me. I think a standalone for this book was a fantastic choice, because I think a series would have ended up killing everything I enjoyed about the story. It was short, fast-paced, and entertaining for what it was. Exactly what it needed to be for the story to work. Surprisingly, the romance didn't feel too rushed to me. They weren't proclaiming their love for one another after, like, three days (which seems to be a tough ask in novels these days). I understood why they got close so quickly.

The only things that are knocking my rating down a bit are the POV switches and the ending. I think, since the chapters were pretty short at times, I kept getting confused as to whose head I was supposed to be in, despite the character headers given at the beginning of each chapter. It was a bit jarring. Lennon's choice at the end felt a bit unbelievable as well. I understand why he made the choice that he did, but it seems like a bit of a stretch.

I'm interested in picking up some of Amy Tintera's other books in the future since I liked her characters so much. I'm super happy that I decided to take the jump with this one. Also, the cover is pretty great, which never hurts.

The Kidnapping

A dystopian story about a quarantine zone called the Q. This quarantine area is in what was Austin, Texas which is now just called the Q. It is divided into sections ran by different criminal families. The virus attacks organs in people living in the Q and they must replace the organs to live with manufactured organs. These organs and medical supplies have to come from the U.S.

Lennon Pierce the son of a U.S. presidential candidate is kidnapped and dropped into the Quarantine zone. He is found and saved from cannibals by Maisie Rojas a lieutenant for Franco Lopez who runs the southern section of the Q. He is given a temporary antidote but must be gotten out of the Quarantine zone within forty eight hours or he will be infected and forced to stay in the Q.

The story is of their journey across the sectors of the Q to return Lennon to his family on the other side of the wall in the U.S.

It was a good story, I was surprised. I need a book that started with Q for a book challenge. This is the one I found and although not the genre I usually read it was a good read and I actually enjoyed reading it. The characters were interesting and it was something that potentially could happen.

I think that the YA group would really like this book. I would recommend it to that group especially.

Thanks to Amy Tintera for writing an interesting story, to Random House Children's for publishing it and to NetGalley for providing me with a copy to read and review.

Maisie Rojas was born and raised in the Q, a place that used to be Austin, Texas but is now a walled quarantine zone after a deadly pandemic almost two decades ago. The Q is divided into two rival territories, and Maisie is a trusted lieutenant for the Southern Zone’s family. When an unexpected visitor to the Q lands at their doorstep, and the head of the family is killed, there is a fight over who will be the next leader and what they should do with their influential visitor. The story was very engaging, the world building was excellent, and the characters were fleshed out and easy to root for.

I loved the premise of this book as the setting was a post pandemic dystopian. This book will appeal to reluctant readers since the chapters are short and it is action filled. The world building was fantastic and it's easy to visualize the quarantine zone of Austin, Texas. The characters Maisie and Lennon are extremely likable and the slow buildup of a romantic relationship adds to the story. I was disappointed in the character of Declan. I feel that he lacked depth and because of this the action scenes were lackluster and the feeling of danger just didn't come through. All in all it was an easy fun read.

If you don’t know by now, I love a good thriller – YA, adult, you name it, I’m probably going to at least try it. But with this one, we also have the science fiction bent with the post-apocalyptic style which was intriguing to me.

Characters
There are a lot of characters in this book. Some play bigger roles than others, as always. I’m going to detail three characters here that I feel the need to talk about.

Maisie Rojas
Maisie Rojas is our female main character and she’s a great one. The daughter of the former second-in-command of the southern part of The Q, everyone expected her to take over when her father passed away. Unfortunately that didn’t happen (although it should have). She was born in The Q and has never seen the outside world. There’s a plot twist that happens regarding Maisie’s character, one that I’m hoping might lead to at least one sequel for this book. You’ll come to love Maisie as she can be sweet and caring but tough as nails when she needs to be.

Lennon Pierce
Our male main character, Lennon is a spoiled rich boy who ends up in The Q – not by his own doing either. At first it seems like he’s going to be a totally unlikeable character, but he turns out to be very likeable – if not loveable. I really enjoyed his character and seeing a side of him that the outside world never got to see. Plus the plot twist with him at the end makes me, again, hopeful for a sequel.

Declan
This character you will come to absolutely despise and if you don’t… I’m not sure if we’re reading the same book. Honestly, this guy is a total jerk1. I found myself wanting to punch him squarely in the face and somewhere else… just saying. There’s a really funny interaction between Declan and Lennon that will have you snickering – at least it did me.

Atmosphere
So this book is set entirely in a quarantine zone that is known as The Q to its inhabitants and the outside world alike. The description of a post-apocalyptic-type Austin, Texas was compelling and made me realize that they’d crammed all these people who had contracted this virus into one city and expected them to stay there basically forever.

The Q is divided into five sections – there is the South, East Spencer, West Spencer, Val’s Territory, and Northgate. The South is “ruled” by the Lopez family while the North is divided into four territories run by various members of the Spencer family. You’ll come to appreciate this information more when you read the book.

The atmosphere is great – you’ll feel like you’re actually there or can at least picture it.

Writing
This book is excellently written. The writing style is easy to follow and flows beautifully. You aren’t left wondering what happened or, as I’ve found with some authors, wondering if the author actually knows how to put sentences together2. Everything moves along and we don’t bounce back and forth in time, so you’ll always know what’s going on and where you are. Definitely great writing.

Plot
This book has wonderful plot. It wasn’t a war that caused this post-apocalyptic version of Austin, Texas – it was the US Government preventing a pandemic by quarantining all of the people who’d contracted a new virus in Austin, Texas. Then the son of a presidential candidate (Lennon) is kidnapped and dropped into the quarantine zone – a quarantine zone the US Government has never allowed anyone to leave… but they’ll let this person leave. The journey to get Lennon to Northgate so he can leave before time runs out is harrowing and fun.

Intrigue
There is a bit of intrigue to this book. We have a mysterious helper in Northgate who has been helping the South, but we don’t know who he is or why he’s helping them. We also have some intrigue when it comes to certain events that I won’t talk about… and yes, we do get answers to both things, so you won’t leave the book unsatisfied in that respect.

Logic
This book moves in a logical manner from beginning to end. You won’t have to pay too much attention to where you are – just note that the chapters change viewpoints. The only viewpoints I recall seeing are Maisie and Lennon’s and it seems to change each chapter. Other than that, you won’t have to wonder what’s going on because of some weird side-quest that doesn’t fit the plot. Anything you find in this book logically fits into the story where it is.

Ending
I loved the ending of this book. Total plot twist that I kind of saw coming, but wasn’t sure would actually happen until it did. There were actually two ways I saw it ending, so I had to wait to see which one would come to pass. The ending leaves us in a place where the story could end there, but certain things that have happened in the book also leave us in a place where it’s possible to put a sequel into the mix. It was a great ending and I enjoyed it.

Thoughts

The market might be dead when it comes to dystopian books, but this book might be proof we need dystopian come-back! Amy Tintera's writing is very engaging, and it definitely stands out in a market oversaturated with the fae. I was pleasantly surprised by this fast-paced plague-ridden world.

Pros
Human Selfishness: Both inside and outside the walls of Tintera's "Q," human selfishness abounds, and this selfishness is shockingly familiar after our own pandemic. The divided nature of humanity, the inclination towards violence, the quick ability to "other" human beings who fall victim--all of this we saw as the early months of the pandemic unfolded, and all of this plays out in Amy Tintera's book. This bit of realism adds depth to a world that might otherwise have felt too extreme before we saw the evidence with our own eyes.

Competent Youth: Often, YA books put teens at the forefront doing things that teens just wouldn't do. These teens feel too adult, too mature, too not-teenager in their actions. Or vice versa--the teenagers will be too childish, playing into their immaturity to a melodramatic extreme. Here, neither of those scenarios proves true. These characters feel young and inexperienced. They're definitely testing the boundaries of their world, but they also grew up in this world. They know the rules. They know how it works, and they're very competent in what they do. They know their skillsets, that is. And this makes sense. These characters aren't too extremely independent, living and acting as fulling grown adults, but there's also a nice bit of generational conflict that allows them to grow and mature--and make mistakes.

Gang Violence: In a world where the government abandons a subset of people, of course some sort of organized power will come in to serve those left behind. And it makes sense that a "family" like in this book would take charge. In the absence of formal government, gang power rises, and this gang certainly isn't sugarcoated. This is a rough, rough world full of gun violence and high mortality rates, but the gang isn't all bad. It can't be, right? Government for the people, by the people, of course.


Cons
Plotless: The heading here might be a little misleading, because this book has a plot... It has multiple plots. The big problem is that it takes a lot of time for the characters to commit to a plot, to decide on the overarching problem that would be motivating them. The goals here were not clear or direct--and they should have been, given the situation--so that made it a little hard to connect to the plight of these characters.

Drawn Out: For such a compact timeline--the entire book, after all, plays out over only a few days, per CDC guidelines--the story feels particularly drawn out. It takes forever to commit to doing something. It takes forever to get anywhere. And we're constantly getting distracted. I was missing a sense of urgency, and if any plot should be urgent, it's this one!

No Big Consequences: Unlike my first critique, this critique is exactly what it sounds like. Though guns fire, bombs explode, and people die... the main cast remains unscathed. There isn't a single major character who gets seriously injured, and in a world as rough as this one, that doesn't seem likely. The stakes get a little lost, and the book feels a little surreal when nothing can touch the heroes.


Rating
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
7/10

Fans of Julianna Baggott's Pure will enjoy this new plague-zone survival story. Fans of James Dashner's The Maze Runner will appreciate this dive back into YA dystopia again.

Started out kinda dry and unpolished, but picked up pace after the first third of the book. Reads very young and the characters act a lot younger than their age. They read closer to 13/14 than 18/19. Writing is very simple. Plot doesn’t go much in depth thematically. I’d prefer a longer book that delves into the topics more.

The plot is quite unrealistic, so a high degree of suspension of belief is needed to get through it. The slow burn love story is the best part.

I’d definitely read a sequel, though! Or watch a TV/movie adaptation.

In the quarantine zone, known as “the Q,” residents are cut off from the rest of the US. Some people were born inside; this is the only life they know, as no one can leave. The US only allows one entrance to the Q that is strictly for supplies, and that entrance is in the North. Divided from the North, the southern residents depend on the food and medicine runs from the North. Run by two opposing gangs and with a disease with no cure, life inside the Q isn’t easy. But when Lennon, a senator’s son, is dropped inside, Rosie is tasked with bringing him to the gate. It will be dangerous, and they’re on borrowed time, lest Lennon becomes infected.

Tintera writes in the introduction that she wrote the book before the pandemic, and it’s a case of bad timing, which is completely understandable. But the storyline is unique, which will appeal to a lot of readers. There are many varying elements: the city isn’t at peace, there are opposing factions, and of course, one is trying to control the other. I like the way this is set up, with no easy resolution to this pandemic, but that it is contained, even if the means of doing so is awful.

I also really dig the dystopian premise, not only in what’s happening to the Q residents but with the president of the US as well. I enjoyed the alternating points of view this is told in, even when the POVs seem like complete opposites. Rosie is street smart, and I empathize with what her life must look like. Lennon is forced to wear a face that doesn’t reflect who he is because of his father. Overall, this is a book you don’t want to put down. Thank you, Random House Childrens, for sending this along!

I wrote about this on Storygraph and Goodreads (with a link to Twitter) and posted on Mastodon: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5125203253

**Thank you to NetGalley, Libro.fm, and Crown Books for the eARC in exchange for this review. This in no way changed my rating**

Amy Tintera is quickly climbing my list of favorite authors. I really loved the All These Monsters duology, so I was really excited to get to read her newest book, which also didn't disappoint.

The Q imagines a situation where the city of Austin has been quarantined from the rest of the US following a pandemic (which sounds increasingly plausible post-2019). A wall has been erected around the city, effectively keeping anyone who was in the city previous to the outbreak inside. No one leaves. That is, until Lennon Pierce, the son of a candidate for president, is kidnapped and dropped into the quarantine zone, or "The Q". Once inside, Lennon is given 72 hours by the CDC to get to the gate at the other end of the Q and be released from it. To do so, he needs the help of Maisie Rojas, the daughter of a ruthless man who was helping run the South section of the Q. As they journey, Maisie and Lennon discover they has severe misconceptions about the other's respective side of the wall anyhow society has been affected since the split. They each have individual situations they need to work through, as well as larger scale issues as there is a power grab made while Lennon is inside the Q.

One of Tintera's strengths is her characterization. The reader gets a good understanding of both POV characters through the writing. I really liked learning new little surprises about both characters and felt that the characters were fun and relatable. I also really liked the audiobook for this reason because the narrators switch depending on whose chapter it is, which adds to Tintera's writing. The plot is fast-paced and the ticking clock keeps things from ever feeling slow or unevenly paced.

I'm sure there are some people for whom a quarantine novel is too soon to the COVID pandemic and I understand that reservation. However, if you are in a place where you think that won't be a factor for you, I would recommend this book. The characters are great, the plot is well executed, and I'm of the opinion that Tintera's books are worth picking up.

The Q was such an entertaining read. The writing was simple but engaging, and the plot held my attention. I especially loved the dichotomy between the two main characters. There's Maisie: a girl raised in the quarantine zone who is rough around the edges and a certified badass yet always underestimated, and Lennon: a prim and proper (or so we are led to believe at first) Senator's son who struggles with the weight of his responsibilities and feels as if he always has to hide his true self. It was nice to see the hidden parts of themselves come to light as they grew closer to one another. Additionally, the book's overarching ties to immigration and the way the American public is divided on the topic weren't lost on me, and I think it is a really important issue to address.

Overall, while I wouldn't say I was wowed by this book, I still really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone looking for some good ol' dystopian/sci-fi YA.

The Q is a dystopian type novel about a group of Texans cut off from the rest of the country in a walled in compound to keep a deadly virus from spreading.

Lennon Pierce is the son of a U.S. senator running for President when he is kidnapped and dropped via parachute into a walled-in and quarantined section of Texas. These U.S. citizens have been living outside the government of the rest of the county and are ruled by two factions. Lennon is dropped into the Lopez controlled south run by Dr. Franco Lopez and his family. A team from Dr. Lopez’s quickly grab Lennon and give him a very short acting vaccine that protects him against the virus that ravages their bodies and forces most of them to rely on transplants of artificial organs. In order to return Lennon back to his family before the vaccine stops working he will need to be transported across the state into the Spencer family controlled territory where the doors to the outside world are. In charge of Lennon’s safety is Maisie Rojas who has to fight off opposition within her own family plus the Spencers to get Lennon to the border.

The Q is fast paced and has a lot of action. Amy Tintera creates a smart and savvy group of young people that are navigating this difficult situation yet still somehow keep their sense of humor. There are a lot of funny quips and camaraderie along with with a splash of romance amongst the danger and outbreaks of violence. I recommend The Q to young adult dystopian fans that enjoy a lot of action and some snappy dialogue.

The Q starts amazingly throwing readers straight into the action. That same action is carried through out the whole book pulling readers along on a highly engaging plot and equally wonderful characters. Masie and Lennon work so well together on paper. Their banter is fun to read and their chemistry it top notch. It's very rarely that I read a character relationship where the characters are so different, but they understand each other so well. Their interactions were fluid and easy. I think this really made for such a wonderful read.

While the characters, tension and plot are amazing, I found the world building just a little lacking. An epidemic has swept the world turning Austin, Texas into a walled quarantine zones. Born in the quarantine zone, Masie is part of one of the leading families. Lennon is son to the president, kidnapped and thrown into the quarantine zone to gather intel. The book is a race to get Lennon out of the zone before he is infected as well. The premise really propels the story and it's a race from beginning to end. I would have really liked more info on the virus, the vaccine and even some of the characters. As this a plot driven story, a lot of the world building has to be inferred. That being said, it really didn't affect my over all enjoyment of the story. I highly recommend.

Amy Tintera's The Q is a timely story about a disease getting out of control and requiring the quarantining of large part of Texas. Set fifty years after the quarantine zone was established, Tintera looks at what would happen inside a section of the country that was left to govern itself. Government has broken down and the Q is divided into sectors. When a U.S. Senator's prodigal son is illegally dropped into the Q after being kidnapped, readers are taken on a thrill ride through the territories to return him to the outside world. Along the way we get a good mixture of gun fights and romance.

4.5 stars

I’m about to show my age, but this book reminded me a lot of the 1981 movie Escape from New York, and it’s a lot of fun! Maisie and Lennon were both great characters, although Lennon was definitely a bit naïve and overly optimistic. It’s a pretty fast paced book, which I was glad to see considering there is a literal time limit on Lennon‘s life. There’s lots of action, gun fights, car chases, etc. When I initially finished the book I wasn’t thrilled about the ending, it just seemed so unrealistic. However, after thinking about it, it does make a bit more sense with the character’s personality (sorry I’m being vague). This book is a fast read and a good time!

Thank you to NetGalley & Random House Children’s for this advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.

Amy Tintera's The Q is a timely story about a disease getting out of control and requiring the quarantining of large part of Texas. Set fifty years after the quarantine zone was established, Tintera looks at what would happen inside a section of the country that was left to govern itself. Government has broken down and the Q is divided into 4 sectors controlled by ruthless leaders. When a U.S. Senator's prodigal son is illegally dropped into the Q after being kidnapped, readers are taken on a thrill ride through all four of the territories to return him to the outside world. Along the way we get a good mixture of gun fights and romance as we learn more and more about Lennon and the girl who is brining him to his exit point. Maisie has her own reasons for needed to get Lennon where he's going, but the two work very well together.

Not my favorite. It was fine but felt rushed and the romance was a little too unreal to happen that quickly in that fast pased of an environment. Short chapters were nice and did keep the flow of the book going. It was rather bloody with lots of swearing and illicet activites. It is supposed to be a stand alone but there was a lot that was not cleared up at the end.