Reviews for Unworthy

Jill White on www.amazon.com

This book was a far call from UNWORTHY. I was such a gripping story I found it hard to put it down. So well written you felt every heart felt moment with Acardia. The only downside was that I finished the book far to quickly. This is defiantly a book for all ages. I can't wait for book 2. Congratulations Joanne on a great book.

Rebecca Foster on www.undiscoveredtomes.blogspot.com and on Goodreads (review summarised)

The characters were real, dialogue was true, the world of the story breathed, and I went through a rather extreme emotional roller coaster ride. I was transported directly into the story, and took every altercation, every mishap, every joy, every experience personally.

This ebook consumed me.

 So cruel! There should be a law against writing something this fantastic, then making readers wait for the next installment.

What makes this ebook so flipping amazing, you ask?

Armstrong made it personal. Arcadia doesn't go through a single emotion that a person wouldn't understand. She's thrown from one situation into the next, never getting a moment to consider the best response. The result is raw and true emotion, reactions that aren't always thought out very well, and, on occasion, a feeling of contrition.

And it all makes sense.

Never once did I question why she made the decisions she did, even when I didn't like them. I understood them perfectly. Her choices all made sense, which made them real.

She was stuck in the worst of situations, stuck within a community that had an authoritarian government filled with corruption. The truth was hidden from the masses, laws had to be strictly adhered to, and punishment for breaking even minor laws was terrifying.

See the entire review here.

Heather Harding on amazon.com:

This first novel by Joanne Armstrong is a gripping tale of adventure, romance and intrigue.

The plot is solid with well-placed twists and surprises to keep the audience interested and engaged. Joanne has a poetic streak that results in some creative descriptions and imagery that will delight the discerning reader. There is just enough reliance on the formulaic to give the story a feeling of familiarity but intelligent twists, trysts and subtleties prevent it becoming predictable, rather keeping it moving in unexpected directions.

The main characters are believable in their heroism and humanity. My favourite would have to be the villain of the moment, who is one deliciously sick individual.

The story is compelling and I frequently found myself thinking about it in idle moments, eagerly awaiting my next chance to read.

'Unworthy' is well produced and edited which allows the reader to focus on the story without the distractions of poor presentation.

Congratulations, Joanne, on an excellent first novel. I am sure it will establish a strong readership and fan base. I enthusiastically await the release of the next book in the series!

Lenora on www.ingridhall.com and Goodreads

Unworthy is the first in a series. Aimed at the young adult market, it is a dystopian story set sometime in the future and the heroine, Arcadia finds herself embarking upon a life-threatening (and changing) journey which (hopefully) by the end of the series will see her righting the
wrongs of the cruel and brutal world in which she has been raised.

There are a lot of books in the Young Adult market based upon a similar premise, and Unworthy, to a certain degree, follows a formula that readers have come to expect.

1. Girl must overcome adversity to save the world.

2. Two potential love interests: heart over head.

3. A psychotic adversary that she must thwart.

HOWEVER, the author, then throws the formula out of the window and really mixes things up in a deliciously, enticing way which (and I am not particularly a fan of Young Adult) had me completely hooked.

Arcadia is strong and independently minded, but logical with it. She knows that sometimes you have to just sit tight and wait for your moment to strike. She also has a moral conscience. Without giving too much away, the scenes when we first meet her are some of the most powerful
and moving that I have ever read. (In this genre) Likewise, the man tasked with delivering her to the authorities, Alex, has all of the qualities that you would expect but also has a vulnerability about him, which at times I found endearing and at times I found frustrating.

Again, without giving away any spoilers, there was a particular point in the novel when I wanted him to get all brutal and murderous, but his conscience kicked in and I was left going Noooooooo! This is exactly what the author wants though, and by doing so, the path is paved for an almighty confrontation at some stage in the future. There is definitely a chemistry between Arcadia and Alex and I will be interested to see how their relationship develops. Rather than leap in with a physical relationship, the author very cleverly sows the seeds and builds a surprisingly deep emotional attachment - Alex definitely loves Arcadia, but does she feel the same?

I was a little disappointed by the big reveal as even though most readers would have been able to figure out where it was headed, it just seemed to happen. I would have liked more preparation and buildup to this, and the cliff-hanger ending bugged me a little too. The version that I read does include the prologue for book 2, but even so, I can understand how readers might feel a little cheated. To be fair to the author, cliff-hangers seem to be the in thing at the moment, and I get
why they are appealing to authors - leave your reader dangling so that they buy your next book, BUT, they are also winding a lot of readers up.

I have read reviews and comments for books by other authors lately, where readers have been saying in their droves that they will NOT be buying future books in a given series because they feel that the author is trying to back them into a corner. In terms of Unworthy, I think the author should have taken it a little further before ending.

Series of books are great, but I think the best ones are where each book is written almost as a stand-alone, so that the reader is left satisfied but wanting more.

In summary, Unworthy is an extremely well-written book in terms of grammar and plot. It delves into a corrupt, political society and tackles subjects that you don't normally find in the Young Adult genre.

In spite of my gripes about the ending, I will definitely be reading the rest of the series.
See the entire review here.

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