Gripping dystopian near-future novel

From the very first word I was hooked. The story unfolds in tiny, captivating snippets of a young woman going about her day in a decidedly odd situation. It's unclear exactly where this young woman is, or what's going on, and who her captors (are they captors?) are, but with each scene the author takes you and her characters a little further down the road of discovery.

The story is full of suspense and I was kept on tenterhooks the whole way through as new characters emerged, equally mysterious and you begin to get a hint of what's going on in this near-future world gone awry. At the end of the book I immediately started the second book, unable to wait to find out what was going to happen next.

Excellently written, with great narration, I found myself immersed in the story, enjoying the very real characters in a decidedly scary situation.

I was given a free promo code for an honest review of this book... well, I loved it! Highly recommend!

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Fantastic!

This audiobook sucked me in from the very start. Two girls are in a facility, they are given memory blockers, every day. They don’t know anything from one day to day the next and are living pretty much like robots. Then one of the girls, April, “wakes up”, she follows the same routines that she has done for as long as she remembers but she is aware of everything. She can’t stop following the routine as cameras are trained on her. Can the girls escape and get their memories back fully?
This was so intriguing and unique, I don’t think I have come across a book/audiobook like this before. I just had to continue to listen, barely had a break until I had listened to the whole book. It was intense, thought-provoking and fantastic.

This is the first book in the series, and if the other books are as good as this, it is going to be an absolutely brilliant one.

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Enjoyable and easy to listen to

I found this book a pleasurable listen. There was plenty of intrigue throughout the book to keep you interested in how the story will develop. There are parts of the book that move a bit slowly but not for long enough to spoil the enjoyment.

The narration of the book was excellent throughout with the narrator doing a great job of matching the tone of the book to her voice.

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Playing in the rain

This audio book is written for the young adult audience ,but anyone of any age would enjoy this. I was hooked and can't wait to see where this series leads.

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A very interesting listen...

I originally planned to just listen to half an hour of this before bed, but I ended plowing through two hours of it and got up early the next day to listen to it at work.

A stunning debut, that has that perfect magic of enthralling writing combined with a captivating performance. I’ll say nothing of the plot for fear of spoilers, but it’ll be interesting to see what the next instalment brings. Well worth your time.

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Interesting story

Although I like the idea of this story, I felt the story line could have been better. There seemed to be some span of time going by without a lot happening. It started out with a captivating introduction to a young girl emerging from a drug-induced type of hypnosis. She has no memory, and we understand she’s in grave danger and must escape to save her life. From there, we expect a lot of action, but it’s a big disappointment. There are minimal characters, as she’s locked away, and the only contact she has is with her sister and her two captors, with whom she has little interaction. Al-in-all the story was enjoyable, and I continued listening, knowing there was a book two. The narration was okay. The recording was clean and the narrator had a strong voice. To me, the narrators voice seemed a little flat and could use a little more spark, but that’s just my opinion.

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creepy

This book can become a reality. It has a very interesting story line and with missing memories piecing 2 lives together isn't easy. Two lovely sisters fight for everything daily. the narration was great and the read one to curl up with on a rainy day.

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amazing book

could not stop listening to this book made me late twice lol
post-apocalyptic sci-fi suspense story.
well written by Sandra J. Jackson
Narrated by: Carrie Coello who brought everything to life
book 2 please

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Ideal for YA fans of dystopian books

When the effects of a hypnosis inducing drug begins to fade, April wakes up as a captive in a laboratory at the Contagion Eradication Centre for Intelligent Life (C.E.C.I.L) with no memory of her previous life. Up until now she has been on a daily regiment of injections which consist of a memory wiping drug as well as a mysterious vaccine. Her attendant, Jasper, has been weaning her off the former and as she becomes self aware, she remembers not only her name, but is introduced to a sister she wasn’t aware she had. Jasper quietly urges April to keep up the pretence of being in a hypnotic state until they are able to escape. Later his plan goes awry however, and April and her sister Beth find themselves prisoners in a dank wooden building, at the mercy of the egomaniacal founder of the Institute, Cecil...

Playing with Fire is the first intriguing instalment of the Escape series and is told solely from April’s perspective. As a result, the plot is slow to unfold as April becomes self aware and her memories resurface. Little explanation is given on the outside world other than the fact that something seems to be killing everyone.

April is a strong and likeable protagonist who we’re told is nineteen years old. While April’s memories return faster, Beth, who is three years her junior, only has brief flashbacks. Cecil is an intimidating antagonist who comes across as an unpredictable and callous control freak. His motives and plans for the girls are not entirely clear. All we do know is that April and Beth are being used as test subjects for a mysterious vaccine and are being kept as bargaining chips. As the girls desperately search for a means of escape, the tension and underlying sense of danger is amplified by Cecil’s irregular visits.

While the story is slow to build, the book is nonetheless compelling and well worth the effort. I genuinely welled up at one part towards the end which is a testament of the writer’s characterisation skills. The ending has paved the way for the second instalment which I look forward to delving into.

Recommended for YA fans of dystopian novels of teens in peril, mysteries, conspiracies,

I received an advanced free audible copy of Playing in the Rain and I am voluntarily reviewing it. Carrie Coello has masterfully brought the characters and story to life with her clear, concise delivery which made it easy to differentiate between characters.

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☺

I like this audio book got to give it 5 out of 5 100 %

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