I can 100% picture this book being a movie. A lot of books coming out right now are so similar. This book is not like that at all! I loved it. It’s so unique and creative! I thought I knew what was coming next but I was wrong. It brought me back to the Uglies books I read when I was younger except better. Definitely would recommend. Every time I put it down, I was looking forward to picking it back up again.

CJ Rivera’s science fiction debut draws on a broad tradition of science fiction media that has come before it. Influences from Kazuo Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go to Hugh Howey’s Silo to Black Mirror to The Hunger Games. Unfortunately, Rivera never quite breaks free of her many influences to deliver something truly unique. An endeavour that is not helped by thin characterisation and some head scratching plot holes.
When The Final Orchard opens, groundbreaking scientist Rosio Arata, on her way to pitch her new technology is in a car accident in which she is badly injured and her 4 year old daughter Rune is killed. At a low ebb, she is convinced to work for Edric Easton, whose family runs the corporation that makes mechanical body enhancements. Edrich convinces Ro that not only can she create organic enhancements so that he can take on his family, but that she can use the technology to bring her daughter back. The second strand of the book concerns Ever, a sixteen year old living in an underground colony tightly controlled by the mysterious Chairman. The young people in this colony have special powers and compete to be chosen to go to the surface to fight for the future of humanity. But Ever is starting to suspect that things are not quite what they seem.
How these two plot strands eventually relate to each other is the crux of the book, but it is likely that sharp eyed science fiction readers will pick it before all of the reveals are made. Part of the problem with this book is how derivative these two strands and their characters are. Ro is genius scientist driven by grief but also being manipulated by moustache twirling elite plutocrat. While Ever is the plucky teenager with powers, and sniping peers all competing the be the chosen one, pining after lost love while not noticing the attentions of her best friend. Ever lives in a multi-level underground bunker safe from the societal collapse above.
All of which is to say that The Final Orchard is an enjoyable if derivative debut which tries to be provoking and dark. But Rivera has clearly absorbed a lot of science fiction but has a hard time getting out from under those antecedents and finding her own voice and vision. Hopefully she can do this in novels to come.

Thank you NetGalley and Angry Robot for this eCopy to review

The Final Orchard is a gripping dystopian thriller that delves into the dark and complex world of bionic enhancements and the lengths a parent will go to for their child. The story is told from the perspective of Dr. Rosio Arata, a scientific researcher who has developed pioneering organic enhancements. Her life takes a tragic turn when her daughter dies in a horrific accident, propelling her into a twisted version of her life's work.

In a society where bionic enhancements are the epitome of wealth and power, Dr. Arata's quest for answers leads her to an underground colony where young people, including Ever, are groomed to become "Saviours" and fight an army of monstrous beings known as the Forms. Ever dreams of ascending to the Surface and reuniting with the boy she loves, but the secrets buried in the colony threaten to unravel everything.

CJ Rivera's writing is intense and thought-provoking, exploring themes of grief, manipulation, and the ethical implications of scientific advancements. The world-building is rich and immersive, creating a bleak and unsettling atmosphere that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. The characters are well-developed, and their struggles are both heart-wrenching and relatable.

While the book is dark and heavy, it offers moments of action and suspense that keep the story engaging. The Final Orchard is a compelling read for fans of dystopian fiction and those who enjoy stories with moral and ethical dilemmas.

Overall, The Final Orchard is a powerful and haunting tale that will leave you pondering the true cost of progress and the sacrifices we make for the ones we love.

The Final Orchard was twisty, emotionally provocative, very morally gray (and gave me lots of The 100 vibes!), and kept me on the edge of my seat. I also feel like it might be a series? Or at the very least, I hope it is! I was sucked in from the start, when we meet Ro, who loses her daughter in a tragic accident. With a start like that, how could I not be invested! Now, I will say, I did guess one of the twists, but I think we might be supposed to know? Regardless, that is just one of the many exciting elements of this story, so who cares either way.

We're then introduced to Ever, who is in this underground cult-y situation. And you can't help but feel for her, too, because this mess is all she's ever known. When the two worlds collide, things get even more bananas, and that is all I'll say about that. There is a lot to uncover here, and you're better off going in without knowing much. Lots of relevant commentary, tons of excitement, and sympathetic characters made this a win, and while the story does end to an extent (and tie things up satisfactorily), there is a ton of room for a continuation, which I'd be here for!

Bottom Line: Thought provoking and very engaging, I really hope for more of this world and these characters!

The Final Orchard by CJ Rivera is going to be a huge hit! If you are a fan of The Fourth Wing series, The Maze Runner series or the show "The Black Mirror," then you are going to love this book too. I can't believe that this is Rivera's debut novel. It is extremely well written. The cover alone made me want to read it.

About The Book:

Have you ever thought about what bionic enhancements could eventually do to our future? Will it have a positive or a negative affect on our lives? Dr. Rosio Arata, a scientific researcher, takes her life's work seriously. However, when her daughter dies in an accident, her career changes drastically. The organic enhancements take on a life of their own.

Eighteen-year-old, Ever, has been raised in an underground colony to become a Saviour. Her life goal is to overcome the "Others" on the Surface in order to save her colony. Her goal also takes on a life of its own.

How will these bionic enhancements affect the life of each woman? Read the book and find out!

My Thoughts On The Book:

I loved this book! It is one I will recommend to others for a while. Following the stories of each woman was exciting, and I read through the book quickly. I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next. It's the kind of book where you aren't sure how it's going to end.

The characters are well-written and believable. I cheered on so many of the characters, and I wasn't sure who was the antagonist at times.

There are themes of friendship, love, family, evil, and scientific advancements. I would recommend it for 13 years and up.

I hope that this book will be made into a movie. I would definitely buy a ticket!

If you want to read more of my book reviews, you can find them at: https://judiholst.com/book-reviews/

Thank you to NetGalley, Angry Robot, and CJ Rivera for my free copy of this book. This is my honest review.

I usually don't read sci-fi so I was eager to read it. It took me a while to get into Ever and Ro's world.
We get to see how the characters advance and see how things are connected. We get to read about morality, society, technology, and it has a great scheme-the present/the future. Hoping this has a sequel, hoping for an adaptation as a series or movie.
Must Read and recommend. (*3.25)
Thank you Angry Robot for the ARC through Netgalley.

Thank you CJ Rivera, NetGalley and Angry Robot for providing me with this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own subjective ones.

I love a good dystopian sci-fi novel. In fact, I am always looking for the next books that mentions a different reality, an alternate ending filled with unique technologies and The Final Orchard does just that while not completely disconnecting the reader from concepts such as climate change and environmenal as well as Capitalist crises. In fact, over the course of the chapters I started to doubt everything that was ever mentioned. What is the truth and what is just an elaborate lie?

I mean the premise of this novel is just so dark - the creation of a human orchard for the wealthy. While this is not unheard of, I mean organ harvesting and all, the sheer size of the operation presented in this book is insane. I shuddered with intrigue. Just alone the opening page was enough to draw me into the narrative. The setting abeit not our current reality could very well be the reality of our future, the future of the next generation. Some elements, like the disgusting entitlement of the “Elite” is so apropos considering current developments that the book almost doesn’t read like fiction anymore but a very sick, very real version of the truth. The moral implications of cloning/creating a new version of a lost one is indeed an interesting thought. I like how Ro thinks about this and how Ro is torn between morality and personal desire.

Nevertheless, I would have loved to have read a bit more about Axe, about Rio and also about the old world. The dystopian, sci-fi part is really rather well done, I just miss getting even more familiar with the characters. Even though of course Ro's loss of Rune was tragic, I did not connect 100% with the depressed person she has become because I was missing information which made me less emotionally invested. Furthermore, while I really like the world-building in the novel, I think the plot at parts is a bit too cliche-dystopia, the trope a bit too evident Good (poor) vs. Evil (rich). The anarchist in me loves this, but the avid reader always hopes to get just a little bit more, something a little more novel, a twist. And yet...I just love a good cult/cult-like structure and this novel certainly gave me this.

The Final Orchard is a sci-fi dystopian thriller that will grip you from the first chapter right to the last page.
The plot will leave you speechless with how eerily similar our current world is; and will no doubt only increase your fears about where we are headed in the future.

Climate change has ravaged the Earth, the elite use their wealth to prolong their lives with technological enhancements while the poor are living on the fringes, and scientists walk the line between ethics and power.

When Dr. Arata loses her daughter in a car accident she is offered a lifeline by Edric Easton to go to work in scientific research at his new Corporation.

Meanwhile, Ever lives in an underground training facility designed to prepare her to fight the Forms who have overrun the Surface. Ensuring she is in perfect psychological and physiological health is essential to the survival of the species.

Cracks start to appear in the seemingly idyllic underground society and Ever will need to do everything in her power to survive.

The characters are cool and interesting. The story is action packed, well plotted and intertwined, completely engrossing and just an all-round brilliant book. It will leave you on the edge of your seat and keep you up into the wee hours reading.

Fans of dystopian novels and Black Mirror will absolutely love this; and I plan on recommending to anyone looking to for a fun but thought-provoking read.

Wonderful debut from Rivera and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

Thanks to Angry Robot and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Final Orchard is an edge-of-your-seat dystopian sci-fi dream!

This book had all the great makings of a dystopian sci-fi, and placed its reveals so expertly that I was happy to be along for the ride. It reminds me of the classic dystopian novels, with discussions on health care, human rights, and how far humanity will go to protect the wealthy. I loved that it did this while also maintaining a fast-paced action plot.

I loved it and am so glad I picked it up! Excellent read!

This was exactly the sci-fi book I needed for a moody, cozy read! The way it was told made it so easy to get lost in the characters. It was like a perfect movie was playing in my mind. Outstanding debut from Rivera!

I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and publisher.

This book was wild and so good! Absolutely one I could not put down. Given the complexities of the two different stories being told here, the way the author brought everything together was just fantastic. This is a sci-fi, dystopian novel that does get pretty horrific at points. We see near future technology in one of the stories and we follow a woman going through unbearable trauma and grief. A scientist who is working on something innovative and who will be taken advantage of in her lowest moments by those who wish to exploit her work.

I found this to be very cleverly written. The pacing with which information was revealed and the balance of the two stories was excellent. I did work somethings out before they were revealed but that didn’t in anyway take away from the satisfaction and drama of these moments.

This book was absolutely fascinating, the exploration of the technology and science and how things progress as a result of these advancements was so interesting. The author had a great idea and managed to position it so well with great pacing, world building and intrigue.

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.