I haven’t read a good sci-fi book in ages, so I was excited to dive into The Final Orchard.

When Ro’s daughter dies in a car accident, it puts her life and scientific achievements on hold. However, when a billionaires son makes her an offer she can’t refuse, she starts to work with him to pioneer organic enhancements. Elsewhere, Ever is part of an underground colony working her way up the ranks to join the Saviours and fight for the world above.

I was completely hooked on The Final Orchard from the outset – although I must admit I enjoyed the Ever chapters more than the Ro ones. C.J Rivera creates a well-rounded and detailed world, where artificial adornments allow citizens to live longer and longer, and the sun locks people away for large parts of the day. The chapters alternate between Ro and Ever and I must admit that at the start, I hadn’t quite guessed how they interlinked – it is so clever though and works really well – its well-paced and plotted to perfection.

The world below, with teenagers desperately contributing to the war effort by pedalling for power and donating blood to win standing to get a chance to fight outside, felt gritty and realistic. The characters here were interesting and varied, and I enjoyed piecing together what was actually happening. The stakes ramp up and I raced through the end chapters as they became more and more action-packed. The ending left some room for a sequel, and if this is the case I will snap it up!

Overall, The Final Orchard is dystopian sci-fi done well – well plotted and paced for an engaging and gripping read. Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Excellent debut novel. Dystopian end of the world, crazy scientific experiments and action packed narrative. Really enjoyed it, a little gruesome. Feels like there may be a sequel… hurrah. Thank you to the author. Thank you to #netgalley and the publisher for an ARC.

I loved this book with all the nostalgia of Brave New World and Uglies that I have in me. From a curricular standpoint, it would be a perfect paired text for Brave New World as well as helpful in raising points about the ideas around healthcare being a luxury instead of a basic human right.

I devoured this book in less than 24 hours. I was completely engaged with the plot and characters from the very first chapter. I loved how the viewpoints overlapped and crossed time and space with no confusion. Both main characters got their stories told in masterful ways.

The world and technology was believable. The explanations felt backed by expert advice. I don’t think there’s anything that could have made this book better outside of my own selfish desire for alternate endings.

I hope that others will burn through these pages with a new story in their minds and the bravery of the characters within them.

This was a very intriguing read that made me think a little deeply about genetic modifications and their consequences. I really enjoyed Ro's character and her journey through the book.

I loved this book! The concept is so good, I love the imagining of what could be g=done with genetic modification and how it could evolve to affect so much more than what we know it to do today. This has the scary scenarios that could potentially occur to the world if it went that way, so it was very interesting and made me think a lot, loved it!!!
Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and especially the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review of the book!!

This was a beautifully done novel, it had that feel that I was looking for and enjoyed from the genre. CJ Rivera has a great overall feel for the story and was able to create realistic characters and how the story worked overall. I can’t wait to read more from CJ Rivera.