The Sowing

The Seeds Trilogy, Volume 1

By: K. Makansi

Narrated by: Ivy Tara Blair

Length: 12 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

The Resistance has begun.

Remy Alexander wants vengeance. When she and her friends discover a clue that could help reveal the truth behind the massacre that claimed her sister's life, she may finally get her chance.

Valerian Orlean wants answers: to why the girl he was in love with disappeared three years ago, why she joined the Resistance - a covert organization sworn to destroy everything he believes in. When he is appointed to lead a government program whose mission is to hunt and destroy the Resistance, he may finally find his answers - and Remy.

In a world where the powerful kill to keep their secrets and the food you eat can change who you are, Remy and Vale are set on a collision course that could bring everyone together - or tear everything apart.

In this science-fiction dystopia, the mother-daughter writing team of Kristina, Amira, and Elena Makansi immerse listeners in the postapocalyptic world of the Okarian Sector, where romance, friendship, adventure, and betrayal will decide the fate of a budding nation. Be sure to continue the story with The Reaping, book two of the Seeds Trilogy, and The Prelude, a novella about Soren Skaarsgard, one of listeners' favorite characters.

©2013 K. Makansi (P)2015 K. Makansi

It took me some time to really get into the story.

It took me some time to really get into the story because it really just throws you into the world with little preamble or explanation. While I like books that don't hold your hand, this was a bit too much right in the beginning. Eventually we find out enough to really enjoy the dynamic and political aspects. Overall, it reminded me quite a bit of the YA survival books that are so popular these days. Fans of the Hunger Games and the Maze Runner will probably enjoy this one.

I listened to the audio version and I enjoyed Ivy Tara Blair's reading of the book, but I got distracted by the inhalations that were left in. Some people might not find this an issue - and I don't find it to be a deal-breaker - but I think it would have been better if they had been edited out. Otherwise, it was pretty good.

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

Good Stage setter

I was given this book as a gift. It does not fall into something that I would have grabbed on my own. I will say that, overall, the story is actually very enjoyable. It is set in a very human post-apocalypse where genetic and bio-engineering are part of what has destroyed as well as what keeps humanity alive.

It wastes no time getting the action started. I actually had to backtrack because it was so sudden that I thought I missed something. Actually, what you get is the crux of one of multiple driving story lines that run through book one and set the stage for what I imagine will be a very interesting series.

The narration was incredible and pulled me into the story. I will be listening to more of Ms. Blair.

Great book and very interesting storyline.

Great book!!! it has a very interesting storyline. The constant pause from the reader kinda gets annoying.

Loved it

Any additional comments?

I really enjoyed The Sowing.The author is really talented at world building.It took me a few chapters to feel like I understood what the story was about.But I'm glad I stuck with it and ended up being enamored with the characters and the world they inhabit.I found the story of Remy and her struggle to exact justice for her murdered sister and the lingering feelings for a former love intriguing.I found myself spending an entire day listening to the audiobook and I can't wait to read the rest of the series.The only issue I had with this audiobook was the narrators emphasis on the t's at the end of words.It was quite distracting at first,but I eventually learned to ignore it.Otherwise she did an excellent job with portraying the characters.highly recommend this book to any fan of the dystopian and post apocalyptic genres.I received a copy of this book from the author via in exchange for an honest review.

Cool premise, bad narration. Read it, don't listen

Very interesting premise and story. But the narrator couldn't do different voices. There were two characters who were a couple (who had many conversations) and you literally could not tell the difference between their voices. In fact, I think the female voice was done in a lower octave than the male voice. Other voices sounded cartoonish. It was just too distracting from what could have been a great book. I would recommend to read the book rather than getting the audio version.

Intelligently written, but didn't draw me in

Any additional comments?

This is kind of a "smart" book, with all the scientific language and descriptions of the chemicals in the food, as well as body processes. The prologue is narrated in first-person, which is really effective as the speaker gets murdered in an attack and talks about the body shutting down.

The plot itself just did not draw me in, however. There is definitely a lot of set-up and world-building to get the reader up to speed with the story. Then the rest of the plot isn't very special - capturing prisoners, torturing prisoners, escaping and running away, etc. But those aren't very new plot devices, now are they?

We have Vale, the son of the Okarian Sector leaders - where food is specifically engineered to achieve certain results. For example, the workers are given food specifically designed to keep them strong and healthy, but not allow them to gain intelligence while the leaders are given a different type of food by the dietician that develops their intellect. Vale doesn't learn this right away, and as he learns more about his parents and what is going on his whole world changes.

Then there's Remy, the sister of the speaker who gets murdered in the prologue, who then runs away and joins the Resistance movement. She knows all about the cruelty and manipulative ways of the Okarian Sector and helps open Vale's eyes too. She's tough and loyal to her cause, refusing to give up any answers while being tortured and held prisoner.

Her friend Soren, who I hear gets his own novella, is quite awesome too. He has some funny and sarcastic lines as he is interrogated. I like characters who have a huge personality, even when their lives are in danger.

I'm not really a fan of this audiobook narrator. This story is told in a dual narration, with alternating first-person POV between the two main characters, Remy and Vale. The problem is her voice sounds the same for all the characters and it sometimes is hard to remember who is speaking. This book would have really benefitted from two different audio narrators. Just saying.

The book did end with an interesting discovery regarding seeds (as this is the Seeds trilogy) so I'm kind of interested to see where that goes, but not sure if I'm interested enough to prioritize the rest of the trilogy on my reading list anytime soon. I really don't have anything profound or unique to say about this book, which I think speaks volumes for the effect it didn't have on me. It was intelligently written and had some interesting threads, but overall didn't grab me or hold me.

I received this book from Audiobook Blast for my honest review.

The world building is seemingly effortless

The Sowing by K. Makansi is the first novel in a trilogy called Seeds. The story follows two young adults, Remy Alexander and Valerian Orlean, who are on two different political sides of the Okarian Sector government in a post-apocalyptic world. After years of wars and famine, the world has finally stabilized and the government has a tight control over the food production with the hope of ensuring the continued survival of the human race. Remy Alexander and her family fled the Okarian Sector to join the Resistance when her sister was murdered. The Resistance works to find against the control the Okarian Sector political elite have over the population. Valerian Orlean is the son of two leaders of the Okarian Sector. As Valerian works to protect the Sector and its ideals, he must fight against the Resistance and Remy, the girl he once loved.

This is a great novel. The world building is seemingly effortless. While it seems like a natural issue in a post-apocalyptic world, I haven’t come across a novel focused on food and seed production before. I also really like that there was a lot of focus on the science. It is well explained and distributed in dialogue throughout the novel, so it’s not confusing. The characters, especially Remy and Valerian, had natural voices, which made it easy to relate to them and to like them. While focused on two main points of view, each of the characters has a diverse group of friends and colleagues that create a great dynamic to dialogue and activity throughout the novel. The banter among the character groups was comfortable, believable, and well-paced. Similarly, the plot has a great distribution of action and explanations. The end comes has a good stopping point in the story, but leaves the plot open for the next novel.

The narration by Ivy Tara Blair is excellent. The characters are well voiced and distinguishable. The voices also seemed aged well. The teenagers sounded like teenagers without having the worst kind of whiny teenage voices. The production quality is also great as well. I would recommend this novel to another who likes a young adult science based post-apocalyptic story.

Audiobook was provided for review by the narrator.

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A good read.

When Remys sister is murdered by outsiders, or so they are told, she is devastated. When questions arise about it her family abandon the sector and join the resistance. She left everything behind including her boyfriend Valerian.

Years later and Valerian is now leading the hunt to stop the resistance. He has no idea why Remy left and still thinks of her. He knows he has to stop the resistance no matter what, even if Remy is involved. When he is told some hard truths he has to find evidence and what he finds shocks him to the core. His life is not what he thinks and now he has to take drastic action.

When I first saw the cover of this I thought aliens. After reading the blurb though I knew it would be something Id enjoy and enjoy it I did.

I loved Remys character. She is strong, determined and loyal. She often goes out on raids and is well able to look after herself. When she lost her sister it devastated her but when she learned the truth she knew she had to go. Her life before was amazing but now she has to fight for survival. Everyday is a battle for food and answers.

Vale was an awesome character too even though he was the "bad" guy. He has been brought up to believe what the sector says but when he learns what cost is involved he chooses his own path. He is smart, strong and loyal.

When I heard that this was written by a mother/daughter team I was a bit hesitant to read it because I wasn't sure how well 3 people voices would come together. I needn't have worried though because the book was seamless. Not once did it feel like I was reading something 3 people wrote.

The only downside to The Sowing was the science and genetics part. Most of it went over my head. I understood only some and skimmed alot of the big words!!! I still found it fascinating though. The idea that the sector controls everything and genetically modifies food for each person was something you could imagine.

Overall The Sowing was awesome. The plot was well paced and fast enough. The story was complex and gripping and the characters were all well developed. I flew through the book and didn't want it to end. I cant wait to see what happens and am eagerly awaiting book 2.

The narrator, Ivy Tara Blair, was just OK. She needs to work more on her different tones for different characters. It just felt like she read the book in the same tone.

*I received a copy of this for review. This in no way affects my thoughts.*

awful narration

I can't enjoy the book at all. can't even finish it due to the worse narration i've ever heard!!

perfect narrator for a children's bedtime story...

this book might be amazing, but I'll never find out! I rarely leave reviews, but this made me so angry! The narrator is awful.....monotone and boring!