Ordinary

A Young Adult Sci-Fi Dystopian Novel (The Powers Series Book 1)

De: Starr Z. Davies

Narrado por: Nathaniel Ascher

Having a superpower is ordinary. Your power determines your entire life. But 17-year-old Ugene is powerless. He can’t read minds or enhance his strength. He can’t manipulate natural matter or heal injuries.

Determined to find out why he is different, Ugene submits himself as a test subject at Paragon. But nothing is as it seems. All exits from the testing floor are sealed. Subjects endure brutal and sometimes deadly injuries. No amount of power can save them.

When his new friend Jade disappears, Ugene is shocked to discover why so many test subjects vanish without a trace.

Now, Ugene must choose between his own preservation...or the lives of countless other test subjects.

Ordinary is the first installment in a YA dystopian-sci-fi trilogy. If you like fast-paced action, dynamic characters, and ongoing mystery, then you’ll love this series starter.

©2020 Starr Z. Davies (P)2021 Starr Z. Davies

Wow

Couldn’t put it down! My preteen son and I listened to this audiobook together and we both enjoyed it. I’m excited to see where book 2 takes us. Ugene is a super likeable and relatable character, especially for anyone struggling with their own identities. Loved this intense story so much.

Not too bad

I thought the narrator did a great job. No complaints at all. Didn't blow me away like some narrators, but I thought he did a very solid job.

As far as the story, it should probably appeal to people who really like the YA dystopian genre, but while I like YA, I don't read a whole lot of dystopian, and I found the story a bit slow. I kept putting it down and not picking it up for long periods of time (but, to be fair, I haven't been listening to audiobooks much lately the past year or so, so that's at least partly me). Nearly the entire book takes place in a facility and is about them being tested on. It was hard to see much progress happening, since they were not really even in the real world doing real-world things. There were a lot of characters, but very few of them were distinct enough for me to even remember who they are. Sometimes people would die, and I just wouldn't even care because I couldn't remember anything distinct about the person.

I also had some trouble with this very smart MC doing something very stupid (making the agreement to go to the facility in the first place), given that multiple people he trusted tried to get him not to and he had no way to check that the one thing he was supposed to get out of the deal would actually happen.

So ... I don't know. I think people who are more into this genre than I am might like it, but it was all a bit too boring for me, I think.

Loved it

I received this audiobook for free in exchange for an unbiased review. The story by Starr Z. Davies is enthralling. It was different from most of the super powers/apocalyptic stories by not focusing on the barren outside the city but exploring what an uncontrolled pharmaceutical company can do to subjects hidden from their city’s view. Every person is born with a superpower except the main character. The company wants to know why. The narrator is a pleasure to listen to. This is the start of a series I will follow.

The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions

I figured this was just a book about a world of superheroes. I admit to skimming the summary so what happened to was a shock. The things people will do to get what they want is horrifying.

Ugene was unique in that he had no powers and that was a problem. Worse, powers were weakening in those who had them and the younger ones didn’t seem to be testing as high with their powers.

The problem was that being powerless was considered dangerous. The world was in disarray between due to a battle between those with powers and those without. It was thought that the world couldn’t be repaired without superpowers. Hard to say if that was the full truth or not but Ugene was confident that they could survive no matter what.

Ugene was unique in other ways but he is the protagonist and arguably the only real hero in the story. There was followers but it took Ugene to pull them together, to do what no one ever tried to do. He had a plan and it was constantly suffering from setbacks but they were a bunch of teenage test subjects who were treated brutally and didn’t know the rules. Ugene broke them.

Ugene’s motives were all good ones. Breaking out aside, he had still wanted to get to know the other test subjects. He was just that kind of person. He also had some personal motives, such as the chance to get powers and the save someone he cared about. Then when he realized the hell he was in he became a leader to the other test subjects. It wasn’t by choice but by necessity.

Some might compare this to the Hunger Games but the similarities are only very surface level. Paragon, the “bad guys”, truly believed they were doing the right thing. They wanted to save the world at any cost, even if it was on the bones of the young and innocent.

I want to be clear about one thing. There wasn’t a single test subject that wasn’t in some way tortured, sometimes to the point where they couldn’t tell right from wrong. It some cases it was simply “a roof over my head and three square meals” which tells you something about the perfect, world-saving society that anyone lived that way.

Looking forward to the next book.

Coming Of Age Sci-Fi Dystopic Series

This was my first experience with Starr Z Davies' work and it won't be my last. I enjoyed the book a lot. The author has created a world that is on the verge of collapse. She has created fascinating and unique characters; some that are likeable and some that are not. She has crafted an interesting plot which is full of twists and turns. I am looking forward to obtaining the next book in the series. Nathaniel Ascher's narration is great as he creates different voices for each of the characters. I was given a free copy of the audiobook and I have voluntarily left this review.