♥ Desert Rose Word Candy ♫: "Premonition" by Leigh Walker!

Hiya peeps! Check out this young adult paranormal adventure! I had quite a bit of fun with it - check out my review, the author's playlist, and be sure to enter the giveaway below!

Premonition

(The Division, #1)

~Released: July 19th 2017

~Genres: Young Adult, Sci-fi, Romance

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For fans of The Hunger Games and Divergent...this exciting new science-fiction romance series, filled with twists and turns, will take you for a wild ride! When Riley heads off to boarding school for a summer work-study program, she knows it'll be demanding. What she doesn't expect? To be thrust into an intense physical training program described as special, exclusive and worst of all--top-secret. She signed up for tuition assistance, not to be held in a secret government facility for boot camp...

Welcome to The Division, the government agency that's so classified, most United States senators have never heard of it.

The Division wants Riley bad, but she can't figure out why. Skeptical of what she's being told, Riley's determined to uncover the truth. Boot camp is intense, physically and mentally draining. The upside? One of her new teammates is the cutest boy ever. Watching Finn hit the gym wearing a tank top doesn't suck--although sometimes his brooding attitude does. But when training forces Riley to confront her tragic past, even Finn's big biceps aren't enough to make her want to stay...

Beware: The Division isn't something you just walk away from. You better run.

Riley realizes her capabilities and strengths are greater than she'd ever imagined. But she also learns she wasn't just chosen for this special program...

She was made for it.

Leigh Walker lives in New Hampshire with her husband and three children. She has a degree in Journalism and a law degree.

She's never been to the Naval Shipyard prison in Kittery, ME, but she's driven by it...and boy, is it creepy!

Leigh has lots of books planned for The Division Series. She loves to hear from readers, so feel free to email her at leigh@leighwalkerbooks.com.

~ Connect with Leigh Online ~

Goodreads ~ Website ~ Facebook

PG-17

When life flips upside down and reality becomes insane, do you crumble, or do you rise up and not only survive, but fight?

For Riley, she fights, despite herself. While she'd rather go back home, and stubbornly clings to her notion of "normal" and "sane" as society sees it, the companions she's found herself surrounded by have other things in mind. In a few short weeks, she desperately struggles to figure out if they're insane, or her life has some major secrets. Meanwhile, she finds out more about herself than she ever dared dream, coming to terms with the trauma of her past and growing up quickly.

This story is compelling on many levels. From the quirky characters, palpable teenage emotions and drama, and humor seasoned throughout the constant state of the unknown, Premonition draws you in easily, setting the stage for quite an adventure. The majority of the book focuses of Riley figuring out a lot of different things, and has quite a bit of dialogue to it. There were several scenes with action and explanations, but the focus was definitely on Riley's confusion and hesitancy to trust the people she's fallen in with, as they help her explore her self, and the world as they see it.

The only issue I had with the story, is the inconsistency with Riley's character. She was described as a brainiac, straight-A student with a full scholarship to the most difficult private school in the country. She loves to read, dreams of having bookshelves overflowing with books, and is well versed in fiction stories. Still, she had absolutely no idea what people were hinting at, what was coming, or what people were planning, even though it would have been obvious for someone with half her supposed wit and intelligence. Even if she didn't believe any of it to be true, things were laid out pretty plainly in front of her, and she still seemed completely idiotic and blind to the obvious. The fact that she's blonde ended up leaving her with an image of a stereotypical "dumb-blonde" who's too thick to figure out the simplest things. The two traits didn't really match, and I repeatedly found myself thinking "This should be completely obvious for a straight-A student, come on!"

Even with that annoying flaw in character creation and development, the story wasn't bad at all. I enjoyed the realism of the military arena, the grit of her situation, and the overall plot. Mysteries and questions stayed constantly out of reach, pulling the story forward, despite Riley constantly digging her heels into the ground. The love interest she found seemed slightly cliche and not completely needed - I think it would have been interesting to see her go through this story without the somewhat forced-because-it's-standard-in-young-adult-fiction "romance" that developed between her and her crush. Still, it wasn't bad, and perhaps to a reader who's new to the young adult genre, it wouldn't be as underwhelming as it was for me (I read a lot of young adult fiction).

This is a book I would recommend to any fan of this genre, or anyone who thinks it looks interesting. The author did put some of the best descriptions and explanations of paranormal gifts I have seen so far, which is saying quite a bit. The hesitancy of Riley to simply fall into the group on a whim was refreshing, and gave a new look into this kind of story. I would definitely be interested in reading the sequel, and am glad to have stumbled upon this book - thanks to the author for the opportunity.

*I was given a complimentary eCopy of this novel, from the author via YA Bound Book Tours, to read in exchange for an honest review.