Jessica Hickam

The Revealed by Jessica Hickam is a decent debut novel with some unexpected twists and an interesting storyline. The set up and suspense dished out at the beginning of The Revealed was some pretty high-octane stuff and I was completely immersed in the story before the end of the first chapter. There was a lot to live up to and I was anxious to see if it could be done.

Unfortunately pacing problems developed early after the stellar beginning, which seemed worse as a result of all of that promise within the first couple of chapters. The mystery behind who The Revealed are while being privy to some of their actions was wonderful but it was another huge build that was just too hard to live up to. The explanation of their identity was just not all that I was hoping for, although it wasn't crushingly disappointing.

The story takes place after a major war that forever changes the structure of the United States, although there was not the slightest hint to as why. This was not a problem for me, as I can so easily get over details like that, but I mention it here as I know that it can be a major stumbling block for some of you.

Regardless, there was still a lot to hold onto. I loved Lily's love interest, Kai. He is one of my favorite heroes in YA fiction. His appearances were less than I would have liked, but his presence was impactful and I got a real sense of who he is. Lily was likable too, it's just that I found her personality inconsistent, and had a hard time buying into her characterization, despite the fact that she was in every page.

It was the last twenty-five percent of the read that took this book that had turned lukewarm and turned it back into an exciting drama. Lily's character made some real growth towards the end as well. It is this ending, along with my love for Kai that will bring me back for more in The Enraged. Note: There is currently no expected publication date set for The Enraged (The Revealed #2).… (más)

This is a post-apocalyptic YA story about Lilith (“Lily”) Atwood, who lives in a large, well-protected house in Washington, D.C. Her father, Mark, is an important politician who now is running for president. His opponent is Roderick Westerfield, a man who used to be friends with Mark. But after the [apocalypse-causing] war in which Westerfield’s wife died, he became an embittered, vengeful man. While Lily’s father is running under the slogan “A Better Tomorrow,” Westerfield’s is “Never Again.”

Lily, like other 18-year-olds, is house-bound until after her 19th birthday. A secretive group calling themselves The Revealed have been kidnapping eighteen year olds for the past five years. None of the teens is ever seen again, so Lily is even getting home-schooled to keep her safer. In addition, the Revealed seem to have special powers. They apparently have learned how to manipulate the elements; they can move earth and create fire, wind, and water.

There is a further complication to Lily’s life. She is in love with Kai Westerfield, Roderick’s son. But their fathers are sworn enemies. And in any event, can she even survive until her birthday and the election? And what if Westerfield wins - will any of them have a future?

Discussion: Caution: Some spoilers in this section; Skip to Evaluation to Avoid Spoilers:

This plot has all kinds of problems. Neither Lily’s “instalove” with Kai, nor Kai’s apparent personality transformation are adequately explained. For that matter, the metamorphosis of Kai’s father from good family friend of the Atwoods to Evil Murdering Arch Fiend is also not realistically justified.

The whole special powers thing is totally out of nowhere. A special surgery has to be performed to enable it, but only some people have minds that are “susceptible.” If the wrong people have the surgery they could die. Therefore Revealed agents surreptitiously collect hair samples or tossed paper cups from all eighteen year olds to perform DNA sequencing in order to find potential recruits. Sound like a logistical impossibility and scientific improbability? I should note that this story doesn’t take place that far in the future, and most of the country is gone except for the East Coast, so it’s not like there are a lot of resources, or available and adequately trained manpower for expensive science research and development.

Furthermore, Lily was supposedly close to her dad, but when she tries to talk to him about the Revealed, he tries to have her locked up.

Of course, this is just the first of a series. And just in time, because a new boy has been introduced - Skylar, to help form a triangle, so all the necessary tropes are in place.

Evaluation: This book begins with an interesting premise, but as the story progressed it had too many plausibility problems for me.… (más)