The Rift: Uprising by Amy Foster

Published: 2016

# of Pages: 400

Source: Copy from Harper Voyager (Exchange for Honest Review)

An alternate reality that feels all-too-real, The Rift Uprising is the explosive start to a new trilogy that combines the fast paced action of Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games, the lyrical tone of Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and the emotional stakes of Pierce Brown’s Red Rising from acclaimed lyricist and storyteller Amy S. Foster.

Normal seventeen-year-old girls go to high school, binge watch TV shows all weekend, and flirt with everyone on the face of the Earth. But Ryn Whitaker is trying to save it.

Ryn is a Citadel. A soldier. A liar. Ryn and her fellow Citadels were specially chosen and trained to guard a Rift—one of fourteen unpredictable tears in the fabric of the universe that serve as doorways to alternate Earths. Unbeknownst to her family, Ryn leaves for school each day and then reports for duty as an elite, cybernetically-altered soldier who can run faster, jump farther, and fight better than a Navy SEAL—which comes in handy when she’s not sure if axe-wielding Vikings or any number of other scared and often dangerous beings come through the Rift. A fine-tuned weapon, Ryn is a picture-perfect Citadel.

But that’s all about to change.

When a young man named Ezra is pulled through the Rift, Ryn finds herself immediately drawn to him, despite her training. What starts as a physical attraction quickly grows deeper, and Ezra’s curiosity throws Ryn off balance when he starts questioning the Rifts, the mysterious organization that oversees them, and the Citadels themselves—questions that lead Ryn to wonder if the lies she’s been telling her family are just the surface of a much bigger lie told to her. As Ryn and Ezra desperately try to get to that truth, they discover that each revelation blurs the line between the villains and the heroes even more. 

Let me start by saying that the premise for this book is ultimately amazing. The world is a version of earth set in the future; however, a "tear" in the universe allows creatures and "humans" from other worlds to come into this version of earth. As a result, children are implanted with devices to become defenders of the rift. All I can say is that is the most amazing concept that I have heard of in a long while. I'm not a huge science fiction fan, but for some reason the science aspects of this book were so easy to understand and I found myself getting totally absorbed in the world. Now lets move on to the parts of the book that I really really enjoyed.

In the beginning it was hard to relate to Ryn as a character; however, after reading through the text for a while she began to grow on me and I definitely appreciated the strength and courage she had in becoming a leader of her team. She became easy to relate to and I definitely could appreciate how difficult it was for her to continuously lead a double life: one that focused on protecting the rift and one with her family. Foster's writing also was a key point of enjoyment for me. She wrote science fiction in a way that was understandable and enjoyable. I've never found myself so engrossed in a world before. In addition, she wrote with such ease and fluidity that I couldn't help but finding myself moving through the story at a quick pace. And she definitely gained bonus points in my book for writing such an amazingly strong female character.

The only aspect of this book that I didn't enjoy was the romance. I've often noticed that a lot of YA novels seem to "need" to have some hint of romance to sell to readers; however, this book didn't need it. The characters were so well-developed and the action was so fast-paced that it seemed as though the romance was some what of a distraction. It felt too fast and too "insta-love" and I know that Ryn could have stood on her as a leading lady without the added romance.

Overall, this was an enjoyable book. If you're into science-fiction and alternate universes I would definitely recommend trying this book. It contains so many interesting elements that I haven't seen YA touch in a fairly long time.