Defects

The Reverians, Volume 1

By: Sarah Noffke

Narrated by: Elizabeth Klett

Length: 7 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

In the happy, clean community of Austin Valley, everything appears to be perfect. Seventeen-year-old Em Fuller, however, fears something is askew. Em is one of the new generation of Dream Travelers. For some reason, the gods have not seen fit to gift all of them with their expected special abilities. Em is a Defect - one of the unfortunate Dream Travelers not gifted with a psychic power. Desperate to do whatever it takes to earn her gift, she endures painful daily injections along with commands from her overbearing, loveless father. One of the few bright spots in her life is the return of a friend she had thought dead - but with his return comes the knowledge of a shocking, unforgivable truth. The society Em thought was protecting her has actually been betraying her, but she has no idea how to break away from its authority without hurting everyone she loves.

©2015 Sarah Noffke (P)2016 Sarah Noffke

Amazing first book

I love this authors writing so much! The pacing was amazing and the characters were very engaging. I wanted to immerse myself in their world and never leave it. It has some dream sequences and a lot of trying to figure out who to trust and what is going on. There is a lot of action and mystery in this book to try to figure out who the villain is and what their end goal is. This author is a master at storytelling and crafts a wonderful world. I can't wait for the next book!

Already a fan of Em and Rogue

What did you love best about Defects?

Defects is a great dystopia full of action and betrayal and psychic abilities. I loved that this book doesn't follow the trope of our heroine finding out she's something special and taking a long time to accept her new existence. This story drops us into the Dream Traveler's world, where everyone has special gifts (unless they are a Middling). Well, not everyone, not the Defects.

As we come to find out, the Defects are being given painful injections to try to "stimulate" their gifts - where in reality their gifts are being suppressed because these Defects have shown rebellious tendencies. We find out so many horrors about the Austin Valley society leaders, and what awful things they do to maintain control over everyone.

We come to get to know Em, and how badly she wants her gift, only to later realize why her gift hasn't surfaced at puberty. Then there's Rogue, who is a pretty awesome dude, escaping his father - the President of the society - and living off the grid until having to return to steal some medication for the mind-and-body-numbing headaches caused by withdrawal from the injections. But no injections means their gifts can surface, and we really get a chance to see how amazing Em is.

Together, they learn about all the horrors their fathers have planned and they fight back. Well, they start to at least. This is only the first book so there is more to come, but I'm already impressed and curious to see how these gifted kids will take down their oppressive leaders.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Defects?

The scene between Em, Rogue and their fathers near the end of the book. Wow.

Have you listened to any of Elizabeth Klett’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have, and it was another Saran Noffke book. I enjoyed it as well.

Any additional comments?

I received this audiobook in exchange for my review from Audiobook Blast.

Enjoy the politics and intrigue of this story

Sarah Noffke’s second series set in the world of Dream Travelers starts with Defects. We’re introduced to the heroine – Em – a teenager who is seen as a “defect” because the usual gift that comes along with being a dream traveler has yet to appear. She and other kids who don’t achieve their gift upon puberty are being injected by their government with what they hope to be a cure. But as people from Em’s past come back to her life, everything Em thought she knew to be true comes crashing down around her, and she has to figure out how to fight back and save herself and her society.

I liked Defects a lot. It’s hard for me not to compare it to “The Lucidites” series by Noffke, so I’m trying to consider this book on its own merits. However, I find myself very critical of Em and her character (in comparison to the main character of The Lucidites’ series, Roya). While I admire her bravery and tenacity in doing what is right, she also seems utterly oblivious to some pretty big things surrounding her – including what’s going on in the government and her emotions or that of her friends. While reading/listening to it, I’m waiting for the obvious to happen, and it almost seems painstakingly too long for it to click for Em (and honestly, I’m still clicking for a very major issue to click for her while having already started book 2). In spite of wanting to yell at Em sometimes (lol), I still am rooting for her. I also enjoy the politics and intrigue of this story. As I’ve just said, I’ve already started the second book and am eager to see how Em and company deal with what the government is doing to their society.

Love!

Similar to The Tomorrow People and Alphas. I love this creative take on society. Complex emotions, and characters that are so well developed. I great story of finding oneself. What a thrilling adventure!

A unique and very well performed story

Any additional comments?

I have received a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

In the quiet area of Austin Valley a high class society called the Dream Travelers lives comfortably. They are gifted with various abilities, being dream traveling the basic and common one. When reaching puberty new abilities show in each person, except for the defects, who feel left behind by the gods and suffer every day painful injections hoping to receive their gifts one day.

Em is one of this defects, and the main character of this story. She will soon discover the truth behind the injections she daily receives, and what defects really are, and together with her friends they will try to make the accommodated society of Austin Valley tumble.

I did not expect anything before reading this book since I think I have not ready anything similar. From the start I got caught in the story thanks to the well depicted characters and the beautiful descriptions. One could almost feel being a part of that little group of friends, suffered whenever they did and rejoiced when thing went as expected. The book is narrated in first person, and we discover new aspects of the truth along with Em. The autor does an excellent job in keeping us hooked to the story, and revealing things slowly to keep us interested until the very end.

The narration was also done beautifully. I tend to prefer male narrators, but Elizabeth Klett's voice and tone was perfect for the story. She changed her tone to perform male voices without sounding annoying like other female narrators. The sound edition was also correct, and I did not noticed any changes or breaks like it sometimes happens with some audiobooks.

I would definitely recommend this book to any person who likes fantasy and enjoys a well written book.

loved her voice!!

I loved the narrators voice! she was so easy to listen to!

This book has just about everything that you could want. Romance, action, betrayal, and a very clever new concept. the world of dream travelers is a really unique idea. I loved the characters. they were described so I really got to know them.
Lets just say I would loveeeee to get to know more about Rogue! YUM! Double Yum with cherries on top!

time to start book 2!

I also received this book from the author in return of a honest review. my opinions are all my own.

Excellent YA budding romance w/ great performance

Alternate America, powerful political adults vs teen rebels, both possessing extraordinary abilities. A great performance narration by Elizabeth Klett who capture's your attention with convincing character voices that helps keep the story moving and leaving you wanting more. l can't wait to listen to the rest of the story, and I wish that I had developed a special power by the time I reached adulthood! This unbiased review is given in exchange for a free copy of the audio from the Narrator.

Wow! Amazing YA mystical book--must read!

Would you listen to Defects again? Why?

Defects is a tory about Em, a young girl with magical powers who must take medicine to keep the qualities. It's a classic storyline with a budding romance and an overbearing father. What makes this book so good is that the scenery is breathtaking and the writing is pretty.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Defects?

I loved the ending when we find out the true relationship with em's father.

Which character – as performed by Elizabeth Klett – was your favorite?

I loved the father, and I think Ms. Klett did a fabulous job of narrating this story.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I listened to it in one setting!

Any additional comments?

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

For Green Rider Fans and Lovers of YA!

It was an enjoyable read. I love reading books with a good heroine in it! Strong female roles are a must! The audible narrator is great, as I am very particular. This book is really good for a young audience! If you were a fan of The Green Rider or YA books in general, it’s one to enjoy for sure! I look forward to reading the rest of the series!

Entertaining.

I received a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I really, really liked this book. It was another foray into a dystopian earth in which there is a sort of feudalism that is similar to most other books in the genre so if you liked Hunger Games, Divergent, and other books of that ilk, you will enjoy this one. It is a different take on the genre as there is a bit of superhero in this as well. The world is broken down into two groups, those with powers and those without. The ones with the powers are Dream Travelers, and these people also have psychic powers that manifest as they get older. A group of these travelers do not develop their psychic power, and they are called defects. Our protagonist, Em, is one of these defects. This is the story of her discovery of the truth of her world and what is truly going on.

The world is well thought out and the plot is exciting enough to keep you going. The only problem I find is the common tropes in these dystopian novels. In particular, the love triangle. Authors...please stop doing this. Just because it is YA, the readers do not need another love triangle in their world. And specifically, this book does not need it. The world and story are good enough without it and would have been just as compelling.

That said, I still feel the book was great and I gave it five stars. Mostly, because I found it to be interesting enough to overlook the love triangle hoo-ha. Sarah Noffke is a really good writer and has built a great world in which to continue this series. I will be for sure getting the next in the series, as I do want to know how this whole story will play out.

The narrator, Elizabeth Klett, was a really good narrator. She didn't over-act the lines to the point of sounding cartoony like some narrators do. She also maintained a fairly even tone, so that I wasn't hovering over my volume button. I would listen to other books read by her for sure.