Interesting slant on the dystopian genre. It takes a very quick and sharp veer from the opening and moves along nicely with lots of action and tense situations. I'm going to read the other two in the series. ( )

MY GENERAL THOUGHTS: What a fantastic book! The way both of these books were written was fabulous and I loved the characters. The plot was really neat and I loved the originality. Though the beginning of the book was kind of difficult to follow everything began to make sense as the book continued on, so just keep reading ;-) I also enjoyed reading about the “super-powers” that Landers have as it was slightly different than what I normally read.

QUESTIONABLE CONTENT: There was really nothing sexual in this book that stood out to me enough to warn you away from. However some violence was slightly descriptive but not necessarily gruesome. There are also experiments that are done on people that often ends in death, and some slavery issues.

RATING AND RECOMMENDATION: Overall, I think that this book was a fabulous dystopian tale and I look forward to reading the rest of the series, as well as more books from this author. 5 out of 5 stars!

If you enjoyed The Safe Lands series by Jill Williamson, you will definitely want to read this series!

“I received this book from the author/publisher for the purpose of this review. All comments and opinions are my own.” ( )

Not my usual type of book, but it is interesting to those who are into that type of thing. This book takes place after an event that has made living difficult. Each person has to be careful as certain people are hunted as slaves. It you like this type of book with the dystopian theme, then you will enjoy this book.
I received this book free to review.

Title: Thunder (A Stone Braide Chronicles)
Author: Bonnie S. Calhoun
Pages: 432
Year: 2014
Publisher: Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group
Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Thunder-Novel-Stone-Braide-Chronicles/dp/0800723767/ref=tm...
Selah Rishon Chavez, the day before her eighteenth birth remembrance discovers a Lander, a stranger from an unknown country across the ocean. Selah intends to capture the stranger because Landers are valuable in her world, but she discovers that her biologically father, whom she had never known about, was also a Lander. As a child of a Lander, Selah starts to discover that she has abilities that start to awaken within her as well as certain feelings about Bodhi Locke, the stranger from across the ocean. Selah’s brothers steal her captured stranger, which leads her to discover her own origins and the father she never knew.
Thunder is a futuristic dystopian novel that takes place 150 years after war and natural disasters have ravaged the east coast of what once was the United States of America. Selah’s family—her brothers and her step-father—survive by capturing and selling the Landers to the descendents of the government officials that took refuge in a mountain one and a half centuries previously. But what sinister plan does the leadership of the technologically superior mountain people have for the Landers and their special abilities?
Bonnie Calhoun brings a story of a future filled with corruption, unethical scientific experimentation, slavery, and extreme prejudicial elitism. Yet there is hope as some characters are trying to make things right for Landers and for those normals living outside of the mountain. In the midst of a dark future, there is still hope for a better life and a chance for people to build a new community where Landers and normals might one day live together in peace as equals. For Selah, her world is just beginning as she finds her father, her emerging feelings for Bodhi, and the discovery of herself. All in all, Thunder is a very good read filled with adventures, relationships, mysteries, and new hopes. Those who read this novel will certainly look forward to book two of the Stone Braide Chronicles—Lightning—coming fall 2015!
My rating is 4.5.
Guest review by Cleve Johnson
Note: I received a complimentary copy for an honest review of this book. The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility. Other reviews can be read at http://seekingwithallyurheart.blogspot.com/ . Also follow me on Twitter@lcjohnson1988, FaceBook at https://www.facebook.com/lisa.johnson.75457 ( )