Review : Extraction by Stephanie Diaz

Summary (from Goodreads) 

Title : Extraction
Author : Stephanie Diaz
Publication Date : July 22nd 2014
Publisher : St Martin's Griffin
Goodreads - Amazon - Barnes & Noble

"Welcome to Extraction testing."

Clementine has spent her whole life preparing for her sixteenth birthday, when she’ll be tested for Extraction in the hopes of being sent from the planet Kiel’s toxic Surface to the much safer Core, where people live without fear or starvation. When she proves promising enough to be “Extracted,” she must leave without Logan, the boy she loves. Torn apart from her only sense of family, Clem promises to come back and save him from brutal Surface life.

What she finds initially in the Core is a utopia compared to the Surface—it’s free of hard labor, gun-wielding officials, and the moon's lethal acid. But life is anything but safe, and Clementine learns that the planet's leaders are planning to exterminate Surface dwellers—and that means Logan, too.

Trapped by the steel walls of the underground and the lies that keep her safe, Clementine must find a way to escape and rescue Logan and the rest of the planet. But the planet leaders don't want her running—they want her subdued.

With intense action scenes and a cast of unforgettable characters, Extraction is a page-turning, gripping read, sure to entertain lovers of Hunger Games and Ender's Game and leave them breathless for more.

 Personal Thoughts

Extraction, with its dystopian setting, was an interesting book, but because it had a lot of elements that a lot of YA dystopian novels had, it didn't wow me as much as I wanted to. That's not to say that there isn't unique about it though. There were definitely some original and creative factors in there, but the story in itself felt like the same old story.

Perhaps the most special aspect of Extraction is its world building. This is a world that I don't believe has been explored in YA and it was fascinating. The people of Kiel, a planet very much like Earth but with an acidic environment, either live on the Surface or the Core. Only a select few people are allowed into the Core and they are chosen through a testing known as the Extraction. The testing in itself was reminiscent to Divergent's testing and I can't say I was particularly impressed by that part. Our main character, Clementine, is selected to go to the Core and she has to leave behind her friend, and potential love interest, Logan who failed the testing few years ago. Clementine, for me, didn't stand out as a character. I didn't dislike her, but I also didn't love her. I was almost passive to her, which didn't particularly help me enjoy the novel. There was a huge wall between me and her and reaching her emotions was almost impossible. Because of that she wasn't memorable. I did, however, enjoy her interactions and the new relationships she built with the two of the kids who also get Extracted. Her love interest, Logan, was missing for most of the book and while I liked what little I saw of him, he didn't really make an impression on me either. They did have a sweet romance though. I'm hoping that part gets more explored in the subsequent books.

The plot is what I wasn't very interested in because it's something I have seen repeatedly over the years in dystopian books. It's the same old story about a ruthless leader and the heroine being able to see through his lies and deceits. There were moments in the book though, where I was completely invested. Despite the story not being as original as I would have wanted it to be, I did find myself flipping through the pages to get to the end because it was entertaining and Diaz has a way with words. Although not every element in the book worked completely for me, I can't deny that she's a talented author and with the way things ended in Extraction, I have no doubt that the next book will be action-packed, intense and amazing.

While I wasn't wowed by Extraction, I did think it was an entertaining read and readers who aren't tired with books such as Divergent won't have much trouble enjoying the book. I didn't fall in love with the book, but I will be checking out the rest of the series when it comes out.

Rating

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 3/5
Characters : 3/5
Writing : 3/5

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for the e-ARC of Extraction.
 

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