Title: Tainted

Author(s): Alexandra Moody

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent

Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy

Rating: 3 out of 5

Meet Elle Winters, an ordinary teen who turns out to be extraordinary. A terrified girl compelled by love to tremendous acts of boldness. A loner who lives her life for others. And the bearer of an orphaned heart that just might open to family and to her true identity.

And in order to meet Elle, you must also meet Elle’s friends — Sebastian, Quinn, Ryan, April, Hunter, Lara, Will, and others. Because their journeys and decisions bring both personal transformation and transformation to the world around them.

Alexandra Moody’s ARC Book series invites us into a futuristic world that is struggling to recover from the catastrophic effects of a meteorite strike. Those who survived, survived underground… But now life is returning to the surface. Those who thrive must go beyond survival. They must combat human depravity, corruption, betrayal, hopelessness, and their own fears to find hope and freedom. And considering the levels of secrecy and deceit riddling each level of society, those are no small odds for Moody’s young protagonists.

The setting of Moody’s books is interesting, and well thought through. Her characters are generally likeable and believable. However, there is an element of shallowness to both setting and characters. The writing style is also a bit too simple for my liking, and could have benefited from more intentional crafting of the English language.

I found myself wishing the book had gone through additional levels of peer review and editing before hitting Amazon, with adjustments made on character development, timelines, momentum-building, use of language, etc. However, the story was still unique enough to keep my attention. I still plan to read book four… but if the series was seriously revised and re-released, I’d be thrilled!

Review by Sarah Snyder.