Review: Numbers Game by Rebecca Rode

Numbers Game (Numbers Game Saga Book 1) by Rebecca Rode
417 pages, March 2015, Dystopian/YA
My Rating: 4 Stars
Source: I received a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Description: Treena is nervous for Rating Day. A single number will brand her forever—a valuable citizen, or a pathetic waste of space. Her top-Rated boyfriend is confident their scores will coincide so they can attend the academy together. But when the big day arrives, her true number shocks everyone.

To get her life and boyfriend back, she must go undercover and expose a military spy. Doesn’t sound too hard, except that someone wants her dead. And then there’s Vance, the mysterious soldier with a haunted past and beautiful brown eyes. Together, they discover a dark numbers conspiracy, one that shatters the nation’s future. Treena must join up with Vance if she is to survive the dangerous game of numbers—and the terrible war that rages within her heart.

My Review:  This story started out a little slow for me, as I was trying to figure out what was going on and who was who. Once everything clicked, I was completely wrapped up in the story. I will say this--the chapters go back and forth between two characters, Treena and Vance. Not every chapter alternates (sometimes one character will take a couple of chapters in a row) and for awhile, it took me a page or two to figure out who was speaking. And then I noticed that at the beginning of each chapter, there is a symbol. The necklace symbol is from Treena's view and the flames symbol is from Vance's.

This world has some similar elements to most of the popular Dystopians, yet there were some very unique aspects. I liked that it wasn't quite as violent as some of the other stories out there. The story happens at a fast pace and really kept my attention, but I hated to rush over the romance too fast.

I liked Treena. She is a very persistent and determined character who really goes after what she wants. I would be terrified to do some of the things she was asked to do, yet she did them in order to accomplish what she set her mind to do. I couldn't understand what she saw in her boyfriend. However, I really liked Vance. He's kind of a brooder, but when it comes down to it, he's loyal and protective.

There were so many twists in this story. Just when I thought I had things figured out, a wrench was thrown into it and I was taken by surprise. Things happened quickly--only two weeks happened over a 400+ page book--sometimes things have to move quickly and I could feel the urgency. I was surprised by the ending and love that it's left open for more.

Content: mild romance (kissing); no language or religious elements; mild-moderate violence (deaths, fighting, etc). I would consider it clean for a more mature reader.

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About the Author:

REBECCA RODE is an award-winning author and journalist. She is the author of the Bestselling YA dystopian novel, NUMBERS GAME, and the inspirational book, HOW TO HAVE PEACE WHEN YOU'RE FALLING TO PIECES. She also writes for Deseret News, KSL.com, FamilyShare, and Provo Daily Herald. However, her true love is writing for teenagers. She enjoys traveling, reading, and martial arts, and she has a ridiculous addiction to chocolate-banana shakes. She lives with her husband and four children between a mountain and a lake. Visit her at www.AuthorRebeccaRode.com.