Anomaly

Ok, so I don’t really know where to begin. Anomaly was such a complex and surprising book that I’m astounded. Krista McGee certainly knows how to write a book with surprises and no predictability at all (well, for me at least). Ms McGee’s writing style was great and I was addicted for the most part. My only conflicting reflections would be the Christian aspect; I am not religious and don’t generally read books with it as a strong subject matter, but the overall premise was amazing and very unique.

A nuclear war erupted and the surface was decimated. The government had created an underground community to wait for the surface to be liveable once again. With the surprise attack, the government representatives didn’t make it underground and “The Ten” scientists in charge of the construction, engineering, etc. became law. They created and designed beings and with each generation tried to make them more efficient. Each child was created with a purpose and designed to be as proficient as possible without question of why what or how.

Meet Thalli, she is a third generation designed to be a musician. The brain studies that have been conducted showed that music helps stimulate productivity, so with each generation a musician is a must. Thalli knew from when she was a small child that she was different, an anomaly on the inside, but outside she appeared to be like any other. Although her friends in POD C knew of her anomaly behaviour, they never complained.

At the age of 12, Berk (like her BFF) left their compound to start his mentoring with the scientists. Thalli was heartbroken, not that she could show her emotion. If a child is known as an anomaly they are sent to be annihilated and this is the reason Thalli has been hiding her inquisitiveness.

Now at the age of 17, Thalli has had enough learning and pretending, deciding to escape and explore the grounds outside her compound. Once outside though, everything changes and Thalli is in for the shock of her life. Berk comes to Thalli’s rescue and shows that he still has feelings for her.

Thalli tries to carry on, but when given new music for the piano all of her emotions overload. Thalli is taken to the scientists and studied to determine what went wrong. She is to be annihilated and meets on of the oldest men she has ever seen. John tells Thalli stories of his life pre-war, of his love for his wife and children, but Thalli cannot believe him. What is this emotion called love? Who is the Designer he speaks of?

Berk again tries to rescue Thalli from annihilation and she becomes a test subject. Thalli doesn’t know what reality is or what is simulated and doesn’t know who to trust any longer. Can Thalli become useful enough not to be annihilated? Is Berk her reality or simulation? Does he really have (forbidden) feelings for her? What is up on the surface?

At the end of this book, I was in shock. It was certainly a surprise ending and I definitely want to read Luminary to find out what happens next. Anomaly was a little confusing at times when reality was questioned, but overall the twists and turns of Thalli’s journey kept me guessing throughout. I would recommend Anomaly to readers that don’t mind some Christian mixed with dystopian as it was well worth reading.

As much as the first chapter hooked me in, the last chapter left me breathless for more.

"Question. Feel. Believe."

.... Just a few of the things we take for granted in this free world we live in. When you grow up without permission to question those in charge, feel emotions and compassion, or believe in anything other than what you're told to, life will seem shallow. Humans are bodies, souls, and spirits, and all of these parts need to be engaged or our lives will be lacking. When Thalli lets herself feel and believe, she finally becomes alive for the first time. Of course, this is not allowable in a society built on order and compliance.

This book, at times, reminded me of the movie Total Recall. There is a race to save the world, you never know what is truly reality, and who to ultimately trust. These dystopian books always make me grateful for our present situation and simultaneously, a little fearful for our future. Both are good, periodic wake-up calls for me and make me evaluate what I am contributing to society and my family's destiny.

I can not wait for book two of this series, Luminary, to come out in July 2014. It will be fun to see what new discoveries and trouble our heroes will find and I look forward to continuing this journey with them.

LitFuse & Thomas Nelson sent me the above book for review purposes. It will allow me to keep the book. I have no other connection to and have received no other compensation from Litfuse or Thomas Nelson.

This is a different twist on teen dystopia books and I enjoyed the book very much. The book is classified Christian fiction and definitely has a Christian thread to the storyline.
Earth as we know it has had a nuclear event and only a small group of people have survived in an underground living space. They were scientists working there who were trapped when the event happened. Ten Scientist have taken over the population and have designed humans with certain characteristic traits to perform the tasks needed to accomplish the work needed to keep them alive in their underground fortress/home. The have engineered out all ability to have emotions and have carefully censored all learning to only include what they want the young people to know. The young people, seventeen year olds, are grouped in pods. Each person is designed to perform a specific function, such as baker, seamstress, scientist . Thalli is a musician for her pod, performing music which causes her pod-mates to work more efficiently. But Thalli proves to be an anomaly because she has developed feelings of attachments for her pod-mates and emotional responses in her music. She and her pod-mate Berk who is being groomed to become one of the replacements for the scientist have grown attached, but he is separated from the pod to continue his training as a scientist. Any pod member who becomes sick or is an anomaly is scheduled for annihilation.
The book is an interesting look at a perfectly engineered society that is failing because of things they thought were unnecessary to their survival. When Thalli has an emotional response to her music she is separated from her pod and scheduled for annihilation. In the ward waiting for annihilation she meets a survivor, an elderly man who is the father of one of the scientist who happened to be visiting his son when the event happened. He is being allowed to live out his days isolated there. Thalli begins to talk with him. He is a believer and begins to tell her about the designer (God) and about his life above ground where he had a wife who he loved and raised children and attended church. These ideas are all new to Thalli but because she is an anomaly(perhaps) these ideas resonate with her and she becomes a believer as well. These thoughts begin to set off an interesting chain of events.
The book is fascinating and will be enjoyed by teens and adults. I understand the author plans to make this a a trilogy. I will be excited to read more of this story.
I received an e-copy of this book through Netgalley for my unbiased review.

Thalli lives in Pod C where everyone has a unique job. She is the musician of Pod C and does her job well. She also hides secrets well. See, people aren't supposed to show emotion in Thalli's world. Emotion is a weakness, and people with weaknesses are taken away and never return. But Thalli feels. And when her best friend Berk is promoted to a Scientist and taken away for training, she feels the loss of a dear friend.

Thalli is unable to hide her anomaly forever, though, and soon she is taken away from her pod and the only life she has ever known. There she sees Berk again, and she learns that the Scientists have told many lies. And the more she learns, the harder it becomes to tell truth from lie. What is real and what is illusion? Is anyone telling the truth? Is it safe to go above ground? Is there really a Designer? Thalli and Berk conspire to find the truth, even if that means risking their lives.

This dystopian novel holds up well against books like Delirium and The Giver. It's a quick read with an interesting plot that kept me turning the pages and wondering what was real and what was not. If you love dystopian novels, you should give this one a try. It's the first book in a series. Book two, Luminary, comes out in July 2014, and, without giving anything away, I'm quite curious what will happen for ... those who survived book one. Mwa ha ha!

Anomaly is a quick, enjoyable dystopia about a girl growing up in a post-acolyptic society underground where everyone is engineered to perform a specific task and feelings, asking questions, etc. are banned. However, Thalli is an anomaly. She must keep what she is to herself or she will be killed by the state. Along the way she falls in love with Berk, a scientist, and together they must work to keep her alive after her secret is discovered.

I found the pacing in this book to be excellent and a good page turner. I never got bogged down and enjoyed some of the mysteries in the book, especially when Thalli questions what reality is. The book is very heavy sci-fi, but it has many Christian elements in it as well, so I would classify it as Christian SciFi. There is also a little romance, but not too much. The characters are well developed, and the author does a great job showing Thalli's growth and discovery as she comes to grip with what she is.

This was a really enjoyable read and I'm off to read the next novel in the series.

NOTE: I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

Anomaly combines three of my favorite things: YA fiction, sci-fi, and Christian fiction. As I read it, I could almost see it playing out on screen (which is fitting, as movies do play a small role in this story).

I loved virtually everything about Anomaly. I really felt like I was there with Thalli as she experienced life in Pod C and then as her life spiralled out of control. The first person point of view that McGee used certainly helped to draw me right into the story. And the characters--Thalli, her friends Berk and Rhen, and John, the old man who tells Thalli about the Designer--are all believable.

The end (which isn't really an end, as this is the first book of a trilogy) came with a delicious twist that made me wish I could pick up book two immediately!

Teen dystopian novels with female protagonists are all the rage today, and McGee's new series fits right in ... but the difference is that she pulls in the truth of the Gospel, which leaves the reader with a hope that isn't present in most of the novels in the genre.

I highly recommend Anomaly and eagerly await the next installment in this trilogy.

Disclosure of material connection: I received a copy of this book free for review from a publicity company. I was not required to give a positive review, and the opinions expressed are my own.

The end of the earth has come, emotions have run high and war was the result. Ten scientists were the only survivors, left to save the human race. They bred the new humans to be perfect, each human has been made to complete their specific task. Each human was also bred without emotions, this way no one would destroy the earth again.

Thalli is an anomaly, she has emotions. Therefore she must be destroyed. Thalli has fifteen minutes and twenty-three seconds left to live. The toxic gas that will complete her annihilation is invading her bloodstream. But she is not afraid

There are many twists and turns in this book and a surprise ending. There is even romance and love. Thalli learns of love from an unexpected source, and learns that love is from the Designer for He is love.

This is a good book for young adults / teens. I would recommend it. It has short sentences and chapters to hold the attention of the younger readers.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <[...]> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 <[...]> : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

I decided to read this to see if it was something my teen son would enjoy. I got hooked and had to read all three books to find out what happened! This review covers all three books.

The author did a great job of creating characters that readers really care about. Although the novels are dystopian, they are not ultimately despressing.

The main criticism I have is regarding the romantic aspects of the novels. I had no problem with the romance between two characters, but the romantic interludes are described almost the same every time. In the third novel, I already knew what was going to happen: hearts beating faster, breathlessness, breath on someone's neck, etc. By the third book I'd read it so many times that it was as if she was saying, "blah, blah, blah. . ." The passages present a somewhat unrealistic view of relationships, in my opinion.

Without those passages, this series is compelling and worth reading.

Ever since the rage of 'The Hunger Games' caught on, dystopia fiction has become a broken record craze in the world of YA fiction. Specifically, the secular world has been a hive of popularity for this genre to succeed and it's almost overplayed itself with clichés. Christian fiction has been more leery of the genre. Despite that, I'll admit to being interested in several fandoms plus I practically squealed when learning that Christian authors were about to foray into the once uncharted territory that was futuristic fiction - bravo to these authors! Krista is a talented author so I knew the genre would be well represented from the start, and you know what? Anomaly certainly proves the reasons why Krista McGee is a bright light in the YA fiction scene. Because it's a dystopian world destroyed from a nuclear war (which is really quite terrifying if a reader ponders the possibilities too long), the characters aren't so much relatable as they are products of their environment. In other words, the first person narrative is more about its protagonist, Thalli trying to purpose the reason she is an "anomaly." As a genetically altered product (a "Pod C" generation), Thalli isn't supposed to emotionally react or feel or think beyond what she was designed to do - and her role in her Pod is that of a musician. Much of the story is told "in summary," as we read through Thalli's fears, questions and emotions of acting out, yet she rarely does - unable to distinguish between what's "real" and what's a stimulation.

Setting itself apart from its peers is the Christianity Krista wove into this story. It was done effortlessly and with 17-year-old Thalli's curious nature, it was not hard to believe she'd seek out who The Designer was and why He was more powerful than the Scientists who are now in control of their "below" world. Frightening in its underpinnings, the faith of Thalli and her consuming, beautiful connections to God - through music, is powerfully depicted and was probably the most emotional element in the narrative. The fear doesn't appear in overt instances but as we read chapter after chapter, it becomes more obvious that nothing is quite as it seems - our minds switch out possibilities often and spend a good deal of time wondering what alternative is the real thing. Paring it down to its most basic level, this book is kinda awesome. Everything is exactly how one would imagine the best kind of dystopia fiction should experience - the character's names are unique and the setting is appropriately impersonal. This then leads us to the prose.

If there would be one negative of the story, it's the writing. Don't misunderstand; McGee wrote this story excellently, it's just that because of the sci-fi vibes, the "voice" in the story is a bit abrupt, less poetic. Not sure this can be branded as a "con" considering, it has a purpose: it's lending to the idea of an impersonal, logical world without feeling or belief in anything other than science or the "design" of what each Pod Mate was created to accomplish. Having anticipated this novel since learning of its existence, Anomaly DID NOT disappoint. It's a fast read (cannot remember the last time I buzzed through a book so quickly) that literally leaves us hanging on its last words, wondering why its sequel isn't already on our doorstep. Any reader knows that a sign of a great book is one that makes its reader wish that yearlong sequel watch weren't so far away. In the meantime, this is one reader who is likely to reserve a spot for part one of Thalli's journey on her keeper shelf.

© Copyright 2011-2013 Dreaming Under the Same Moon / Scribbles, Scripts and Such

My favorite genre is Christian based, a bit of science fiction and some thrill of some sort. This book was all of those things mixed in with a bit of sweet clean romance too. I flew through this book in about 2 days and cannot wait to read the next one!!

Anomaly by Krista McGee is about a period past Nuclear War, the earth is uninhabitable except for the "State" below ground. Before the war a group of 10 scientists were developing a place for the US leaders to go to be safe in case of a Nuclear War. Well, those leaders never made it, but the 10 scientists did and they start a new sort of life there.

The main characters are Thalli and Berk - two people who were designed to do certain things for their group of people. People are not born any longer, and when created are designed to be void of emotion - basically human robots. Except Thalli is different, she has emotions, she has questions, she feels things no one else does. This leads to problems for her and her friend Berk who is designed to be a scientists, to replace one of the 10.

This is a sweet story of love, watching Thalli and Berk learn about feelings and really fall for each other. There is a bit of thrill as well when we find out the scientists can create alternate realities that the brain cannot recognize, realities that offer feel, smell, and taste. At times you are not sure whether the things Berk and Thalli are seeing are real or not.

I enjoyed the story, and like I said I cannot wait to read books #2 & #3. There is a great deal of suspense, wondering what is going to happen, how things will turn out, and who will survive.

I really loved the explanation of God as the Designer. There is one more character I loved in this story, John. He is the father of one of the 10, and happens to be in the "state" when the war breaks out, so he is saved and allowed to live there. John is a believer and he tells Thalli all about God. The truths that are shared, the knowledge that grows, was true for us today.

I recommend this story, and it would be a great youth story as well.

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About Anomaly: Thalli has fifteen minutes and twenty-three seconds left to live. The toxic gas that will complete her annihilation is invading her bloodstream. But she is not afraid.

Decades before Thalli's birth, the world ended in a nuclear war. But life went on deep underground, thanks to a handful of scientists known as The Ten. Since then, they have genetically engineered humans to be free from emotions in the hopes that war won't threaten their lives again.

But Thalli was born with the ability to feel emotions and a sense of curiosity she can barely contain. She has survived so far thanks to her ability to hide those differences. But Thalli's secret is discovered when she is overwhelmed by the emotion in an ancient piece of music.

She is quickly scheduled for annihilation, but her childhood friend, Berk, convinces The Ten to postpone her death and study her instead. While in the scientists' Pod, Thalli and Berk form a dangerous alliance, one strictly forbidden by the constant surveillance in the pods.

As her life ticks away, she hears rumors of someone called the Designer---someone even more powerful than The Ten. What's more, the parts of her that have always been an anomaly could in fact be part of a much larger plan. And the parts of her that she has always guarded could be the answer she's been looking for all along.

Thalli must sort out what to believe and who she can trust, before her time runs out . . .

NOTE : I was offered a copy of Anomaly at no cost, in exchange for an honest review.

Anomaly
by Krista McGee

The opening of Anomaly grips you from the very beginning. Thalli has just over fifteen minutes left to live. Her whole life she has spent as an anomaly because she has feelings and curiosity. Thalli can't follow the rules, not because she intends to break them but because she isn't the same, she's malformed.

In a world where sameness is necessary to a productive, efficient society that is struggling to survive in post nuclear war Thalli is a threat! And threats must be annihilated for the good of the State.

But Thalli has a friend - Berk. But this is a forbidden friendship because friendships are based on emotions and emotions are what destroyed the world above. Can Berk and Thalli hide their friendship as Berk works to convince the Ten to spare her life and instead study her?

As Thalli struggles to understand her feelings she is confronted with different truths than she has been taught all her life. But whose truth should she believe? The strange man who speaks of the Designer? Berk? The scientists who saved their world?

Anomaly is a thought provoking look at a world where feelings have been removed from humanity for the betterment of humanity. But can lack of feelings truly make for a better world? Yes hatred and fear can drive some to the brink of war, but love and fear can also hold us back.

I think the saddest aspect of this book is the lack of family. Children of the State, created by and for the State. Children whose very existence is at the State's arbitrary will.

But where other YA titles have a similar theme most don't offer hope of something more. As Thalli says at the end of the prologue Death is only the beginning, and Anomaly will take you on a journey of discovery with Thalli as she discovers what this beginning is.

This title is perfect for teens who want a dystopian book that is clean reading.

The publisher has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book through BookSneeze in exchange for my honest review.

Anomaly. What an excellent title for a great story. When I first started reading I was not sure I was really going to enjoy the book. It took me a couple of chapters to really get into the story. I am truly glad I stuck with it. Anomaly is a YA dystopian Christian fiction novel. About a young girl named Thalli who lives in the future in a post-nuclear war time period. She along with others live in this man made, artificial world inside of a mountain. This place is known as `the state'. People live in pods, with no families, no elderly people.Life is created in laboratories and not the old-fashioned way. Everything in `the state' is run by The Ten . All of Thalli's pod mates are her own age. Everyone that lives serves a purpose. It is a very controlled, sterile world.

Thalli is an anomaly, someone not normal simply because she questions, shows emotion and is very curious. Thalli is also very brave. She dares to seek out the truth. But what is the truth? She meets an elderly man named John {elderly people are just not part of this society} who lived before the nuclear war and remembers a much different life. John also tells Thalli about The Designer. Someone greater then The Ten. Someone that created the world.

As Thalli seeks to find answers she becomes more confused as to what is reality and what is not.

Anomaly is filled with mystery! Just when I thought I had the story figured out there was a twist I was not expecting. I was unsure at some parts as to what the reality was and what was real in the story. There were also times I was not sure who were the good guys and who were the bad guys! I was on the edge of my seat until the very end. What was Thalli's reality? I did enjoy her bravery and even though she was fearful she pushed the fear down to seek the truth. Anomaly was an excellent read! I am looking forward to book two Luminary in July of 2014!

disclosure: I received a copy of this book from Litfuse in exchange for my honest opinion. No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.

Anomaly has a very interesting concept behind the story. The book's setting is AFTER Nuclear War has destroyed the world as you and I know it. 10 scientists saw what was coming and prepared a society deep in the earth and fled as the world ended. During the period before the book starts a new society has formed, babies are created (not in the natural way), formed and are designed with a specific purpose for their pod. Thalli was designed to be her pod's musician and her job is to support and encourage her pod mates as they work. But she is an anomaly - and she is found out and scheduled for annihilation.

What I found interesting as I read this book is how the 10 scientists have designed a society that relies on each other and ultimately on the 10 scientists. Within 3 generations the words (and knowledge of) God, His Savings Grace & Purpose, Love, Marriage have all been wiped out and each individual is designed to have NO emotions, feelings, illnesses and nothing can go wrong because if it does they will be destroyed.

Now having said that. When Thalli is sent to be tested she meets a friend who has already left their pod and is destined to become one of the scientists. He talks the other scientists into letting him see if what he is working on will "fix" her. While he is trying to help Thalli she ends up meeting John, the only other naturally created human and he shares the Love of Christ (or the original designer) with her.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book although it wasn't at all what I expected. The writing is a bit tough to read so I would say it is for TEEN not for Middle Graders unless they have a strong grasp of language and a high reading comprehension. Parents you may want to read it before or with your kids (especially if they are younger) so you can answer questions. Personally I think a list of questions with this book would be great and it would be perfect for book clubs to read together.

Disclaimer: I was offered a copy of the book to read and review on CCB. I was not required to have a positive review and no money exchanged hands. Thanks for reading!

Thalli must sort out what to believe and who she can trust, before her time runs out...

Anomaly by Krista Mcgee was gripping story that kept me hooked until the very last page. The story is not in Krista Mcgee's normal style, but it still has her typical realistic characters, sweet romantic undercurrents, and well written plot line. Starting in on this book I was not sure what to expect; however, the plot line quickly pulled me in with its unique setting, spectacular twists, and unexpected character and plot developments. The story was told from the perspective of Thalli, one of the only surviving humans that still has the ability to feel emotion. An anomaly. Thalli is a wonderfully complex character who struggles to understand what is going on around her and within her. She can play and feel beautiful music, and she wonders what it all means. John, the oldest human still alive, helps Thalli understand the existence of an ultimate Designer who designed her feelings and gave her life and true freedom and salvation. As Thalli learns to trust and feel, she is faced with many trials and heartaches as the Scientists work to eradicate her emotions...and possibly her. I loved Thalli's interactions with Berk; they were both sweet together and had to learn how to help one another survive. Berk is a wonderful character who begins to understand the importance of love, honesty, and trust in the great Designer as he spends more time trying to save Thalli and John. Overall, I found Anomaly to be quite different from Krista Mcgee's previous novels, but I enjoyed the uniqueness and the flavor the storyline and characters as well as their introduction to God and His saving love and Son. I look forward to reading the next novel in the series, and I would highly recommend Anomaly to any reader looking for a provoking read set in a futuristic world.

I received this book for free from Booksneeze.com and Thomas Nelson Press in exchange for an honest review.

When I get really into a book, I tend to devour it. I take it with me wherever I go and read it whenever I can. This usually means that I finish them pretty quickly once they've hooked me. And this one? Well...I finished it in about 24 hours.

Granted it is a "Young Adult" book, but that's how gripped I was by the story. I had to know what happened!

"Anomaly" is the story of the world post-nuclear destruction. The Scientists are the rulers of the State and they have engineered everything for humanity's survival...including removing citizens' feelings and programming people for complete obedience and submission to the State. But they cannot control everything...

Thalli has never seen the outside world except through the thick windows above her. All she knows is she is different from the rest of the citizens in her Pod...she feels, a fact she must hide if she wishes to survive...

But when she's found out? Well, that's when the real adventure begins! I kept turning pages, wanting to find out what would happen next, losing myself in the suspense, along with losing track of time. :) And in the end...I never saw it coming.

Highly recommended for fans of "The Hunger Games" and other dystopian fiction. However, be forewarned...this is the first in a trilogy, something I didn't realize until the end of the book. The second book "Luminary" won't be released until July 2014.

Is it 2014 yet???

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com® [...]book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 [...]: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Anomaly
Krista McGee
Thomas Nelson, Jul 9 2013, $9.99
ISBN: 9781401688721

The nuclear war ended life on the surface; forcing survivors underground. Though rumors of a Designer as the ultimate power, Ten Scientists saved those who survived but to prevent conflict they genetically removed emotion from their subjects.

Thalli, the Musician of Pod C, concealed for spent years her outlawed abnormality while doing her job by playing instruments to stimulate the labor of her mates. When she was nine running laps with her Pod mates, Thalli was shocked when Asta the historian stopped and began oozing from her nose until the Monitors removed her as a Code 4 never to return. Thalli concludes Asta broke one of the most important rules of never be different while she hides her innate curiosity. Three years later Berk the Scientist departed with a gala celebrating his becoming a leader. A few years later, because of Bach, Thalli's anomaly surfaces so she is removed and slated for Annihilation. With minutes counting down until she dies, Berk persuades his peers to keep Thalli alive to study her anomaly.

Anomaly is an exciting thought-provoking young adult dystopian thriller that has the teen audience pondering faith in a Designer when faced with an execution countdown due to displaying feelings. The McGee world feels like Alice fell into the realm of Huxley's Big Brother yet at the same time the milieu feels underdeveloped. Still fans will enjoy the "Curiouser and curiouser" Musician's adventures as she learns to keep the faith with someone mighty watching out for her.

Harriet Klausner

Fascinating. The underground world McGee has created... The difficult questions McGee doesn't save her characters from... The Matrix-y intensity without the ickiness (Thank you, McGee!)... The twists and turns through the human mind... The romance that somehow survives and is as tender and fragile as one would expect in such a world... And the creative and simply powerful look at faith. All of it made for such an engaging story, and a great start to what's sure to be an intriguing trilogy!

To be honest, the two YA contemporaries I read by McGee - while sweet and written in an easy-to-read style - were not favorites of mine, but I was curious about her foray into the world of dystopia. McGee's writing style fits so well in this genre, and I loved this one! Her simple storytelling makes Thalli's eye-opening process so interesting to read about, and it creates a strong impact when Thalli wrestles with tough issues - things like reality vs. simulation, and the fear of forgetting all one has ever known and believed in.

The epilogue has me a bit unsure... Either A) the villain is even more egotistical than previously suggested or B) his plan is super complicated. But really, either way I'm curious to see where this series goes! This is a great set-up, and - more than that - a thought-provoking story on its own. Bravo, McGee, for your creativity and your fearlessness!

*With thanks to the publisher for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion, to be shared during the Litfuse Publicity blog tour.*

Anomaly is a YA dystopian, post-nuclear war survival story. Yes, I hear your sigh. Another one?

But guess what. This book was GREAT! The plot was well-developed, the characters believable, the concept possible, if not probable. And there was a twist at the end that left you wanting to know MORE! This absorbing read for YA enthusiasts has a strong Christian worldview that doesn't overpower or come across as preachy. Krista does a wonderful job of being inside Thalli's head as she blossoms into the creative, emotionally charged human The Designer meant her to be.

I was really intrigued by the secondary world Krista develops in this story, and how compromised standards were intentionally presented as attractive options. I can't say more without a spoiler alert, but isn't that how sin is often presented? A subtle shifting of lines, quiet agreements, compromise.

I highly recommend this to YA readers, and I look forward to reading the next book when it comes out.

NOTE: I was given a copy of this book for the purpose of this review.

I saw this book and I knew I had to get it, I mean who passes up a dystopian AND science fiction book? Little did I know, it is also Christian fiction. I don't usually get those type of books because I'm not sure where my religious status stands. And I also know about Christians.. I go to church and the pastor preaches. I would like the preaching to stay in church, on Sundays. And I don't want that to infect my books.
But to my surprise, this book didn't preach. It talked a little about God and how you should have faith and believe in him.. and blah, blah, blah. But it was only a couple chapters spread out.
I have to admit that this was a great book. If you don't mind talking about God once in a while. Which didn't really bother me. In all honesty, I thought it was kind of cute that they had faith and stuff.
I didn't like that the point of the story relied on everyone not having feelings. I mean everyone feels something. And in one point of the book, a scientist was angry, which happens to be a feeling. And no one looked at him weird and sent him to his death..
So that didn't really do well for the book. But it wasn't all bad either because how else is the girl supposed to be an Anomaly any other way? I just think that the author could have made it a bit better. That's why it isn't 5 stars.
I really did enjoy this book, though. I would recommend it to Christians and non-Christians alike. Anyone who likes dystopian or science fiction.

WOW! I loved this book, easily one of my favorites from this year. As soon as I received it I dived in and was transported to this future world. I felt like I was on a roller coaster ride with all the twists and turns it took.

Krista McGee weaves a fantastic dystopian YA title with a Christian view point that will entertain both teens and adults. This is my first book I have read from her and also her first book in this genre. She has written many other Christian contemporary YA titles but now is writing in this genre too and excels at it.

I loved all the characters in this book, I felt like I got to know them and was with them. I can not wait till book 2 and 3 come out, I just have to know how this is all going to work out.

I recommend this book to everyone it is that good. It will leave you thinking and wanting for more. Great job Krista McGee!

* I received this book from booksneeze for the purpose of this review.

It starts in media res. Seriously, it's the greatest, most frustrating, thing ever. It made me determined to find out when that opening scene actually happened in chronological order. I was fooled so many times, it was unbelievable.. Every time I thought I had it all figured out, BAM. I got it all wrong. I was constantly struggling to keep up with what was real and what was not. It was fast-paced, filled with action, page after page of excitement. I loved every second of it. And I'm so glad I have the ARC of the second book. I will be starting that right away.

Characters
I really admire Thalli. It seems a little odd at first. Because she is an anomaly and it's not like she wanted to be. So why should I love her for something she didn't choose to be? But she has this depth that allows her to be more than just an anomaly. She cares for others, questions things, isn't afraid. Okay, she's human, she's afraid sometimes. But she gets past that. In the end, she knows what really matters. So I appreciated that. I love the scenes with her and John. It surprised me at first. I didn't expect all the references to God. But I liked it.
The other main character is Berk. I really liked him. He's a Scientist so he has certain privileges. And he really uses them to help Thalli and John and Rhen. I'm not sure that I'd consider him book boyfriend material because the romance wasn't like that at all. They don't know what love is. It doesn't get steamy or romantic. But it is very sweet. I loved it.
After that, there's really only John. I don't want to reveal too much about him. Getting to know him was one of my favorite things about the book. But he's great and he introduces new concepts to Thalli and Berk. That was great.

Plot
This is a post-apocalyptic dystopian. It's not entirely new: pods, contaminated air, nuclear war, etc. But this book took that concept and made it something entirely new. Specialization is not really new, but the specific jobs (musician, botanist, logical person) and the way they can't socialize with anyone outside of their generation? That's different, is it not?
Like I said before, this is a pretty fast-paced book. The paperback is 303 pages of nonstop STUFF that is HAPPENING. It was great. There wasn't a dull moment. Thalli was constantly on the verge of being annihilated. I was constantly wondering when is she going to die? Or, at least, be in the face of death. This book was told in the first person. This is usually a sign that the narrator won't die. But I have read books where the narrator dies. So! There was that possibility wandering through my mind.
Overall, I loved it. I was constantly questioning EVERYTHING, right alongside Thalli as she tried to figure out what was real and what was right.

Rating: 4 stars

Why: it kept me involved and concerned and it was exciting. So exciting.

Recommendation: sci-fi lovers and those who don't mind references to Christianity. I mention this because it mind offend some people.

I have one word to start my review and it is Wow! This book gripped me at the very start and never let me go. I inhaled this book in just a couple of sittings and now I am on pins and needles until the next installment is available. There are so many young adult books out there right now that I just wouldn't want my kids reading but this is something I would gladly share. It is part science fiction, part young adult, and part Christian fiction. I love that on top of the many twists is the idea that God creates all and even does in this dystopian future. I just can't say enough good things about Anomaly by Krista McGee. This is a very special and unique book that is great entertainment for all as well as having a great moral theme.
I received this book free in exchange for my honest opinion. My opinions are always my own!

I read this as part of a book tour and didn't realize when I signed up that this book isn't just YA dystopian, it's also Christian fiction. You can pretty much figure it out as you're reading, but the good thing about it is that it doesn't shove religion down your throat. The novel actually does a great job of saying, "There is something greater out there, and that great thing just wants you to love and live life."

The entire book kept me guessing. One minute I thought I had it all figured out but then it would twist into something else. I love that! I feel like I've read so much that sometimes I spoil novels for myself, so it's great to find a book that I just cannot quite grasp.

I also loved the characters. Thalli is flawed - which is why she's an anomaly. All the characters in this novel are supposed to be created for specific purposes, and although Thalli fits her purpose, she is also outside the box. Wonderful! She reconnects with a lost friend, Berk, who is kind and smart and loyal. And they just fit together. They work together to try to navigate the world the live in and the way they work together is wonderful.

This book throws you for a loop and at the end all I wanted was to keep reading! I'd highly recommend it and I can't wait for more!

What a super fast read! I started out dragging my feet with this book...the beginning didn't grab me, and I wasn't sure if I would be able to make my way through it. In the end, I was glad I stuck with it!

While there were some confusing areas of this novel, I enjoyed the mystery behind it. Was Thalli in in a realistic world, or was she living a dream? Was anyone else around her real, or were they a type of robot? Oh my...trying not to give anything away with this review!

Let's just leave it at this...I give this book 4 stars, and would recommend it to anyone that is a sci-fi fan. This book (in a way) reminded me of the movie "Lock Out", it had similar aspects to it. I am eagerly awaiting the next book in the series, but am afraid it is not due out for some time!

**I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion**

Thalli and Berk are in an awkward situation, she is a "project" in the "state" and he is one of the ten "scientists". Thalli has been deemed an ANOMALY because she has feelings and emotions. She is gifted musically in a world where logic is key. With Thalli's life set for annihilation she is frightened. Through an interesting chain of events all the rules change and Thalli is now the focus of brain surgery as an experiment to learn why she is different.

This is a new world and many factors determine who is allowed to stay and who is annihilated. Progress is a huge question mark in Thalli's life and maybe not even real. Through her music and relationship with the oldest man in "state" does Thalli find many different answers to the strange events around her.

I received this book free from the author, Krista McGee for the purpose of personal enjoyment and review.
Posted Yesterday by Doreen

"Dystopia" - an imaginary society in which social or technological trends have culminated in a greatly diminished quality of life or degradation of values.
Anomaly is a young adult novel which tells the story of a dystopian world. While the book was a little too "sci-fi" for my personal taste, McGee does an amazing job of weaving a story that involves your mind and emotions. The story is told strictly from the vantage point of a seventeen year old musician who struggles to make sense of what's going on around her. I loved McGee's character John and how she weaved the gospel into the story through his interactions with Thalli. While this isn't my favorite genre, McGee has succeeded in making me want to read the next novel coming in July 2014 Luminary. What will become of Thalli, John, Rhen, and Berk?

Received a copy of the book from LitFuse Publicity for the purpose of this review.

Working within the confines of traditional post-apocalyptic YA fiction, McGee manages to find God. Anomaly tells the story of Thalli a member of Pod C. Most of her pod follows orders and does their assigned jobs without questions but Thalli is different. She questions pod life and its usefulness. This makes her dangerous to The Ten, the ruling body. Anomalies are destroyed to keep the peace. Anomaly follows Thalli’s journey as she slowly learns what The Ten has kept hidden.

I’ve never been one for so-called “Christian fiction.” Most of it is either too overtly preachy or too far-fetched. This was neither. McGee has managed to create a book that appeals to teens while still inspiring a more Godly life.

I have only read one other book by this author, Right Where I Belong, and was quite pleased with it. However with Anomaly being such a different type of book I wasn't sure how much I would like it. Sure the synopsis sounded good, but I went into it with a little apprehension. I needn't have worried! This book was SO amazing!

It kept me guessing throughout the entire book, I was never quite sure what was real...and I loved every second of it!

If you love Dystopian novels you should definitely read this, as I'm sure you'd enjoy it. I hate that I have to wait a year for the second book - with the way the book ended I want to read it right now!

***I received a complimentary copy of this book to review. I was asked to give my honest opinion of the book - which I have done.***

This review first appeared on Books i View. | I received a free copy of this book from the tour host!

From the synopsis I was captivated by Anomaly and wanted to read more. I couldn't imagine a world with no emotion, where having feelings means your "malformed", and then are sent to your annihilation. I had to read more about this world and find out what happens to Thalli.

Anomaly takes place many years after the world was destroyed by a nuclear bomb. The State is an underground community created by scientist. Everyone is created for a specific job and emotion is seen as a weakness and was eliminated.

Thalli is such a strong character. She has watched as friend after friend was taken away from her and has managed to keep her so called malformation/emotions a secret from everyone for seventeen years. I honestly don't know how she was able to keep up the act I surely would have broken down a lot sooner than she eventually did.

Berk was my favorite character! He was a little more reserved in the beginning but as the story progresses you could tell that he had more really cared for Thalli. Together I think they make a great couple however their relationship doesn't really progress much in book one. Maybe we will get to see more relationship growth in book two??? :)

John was also an amazing supporting character. He's the old wise man with tales of love and faith. I honestly did not realize this was a Christian Fiction until we meet him. Usually I don't review Christian Fiction but I must say this did open up the genre for me. Who knew Christian Fiction could also be a cool Sci-Fi Dystopian as well?!

The plot is very unpredictable. Sometimes (most of the time) you don't know what's real and what's not. At times I had to reread parts I just read trying to figure out did that really just happen? Or why did that happen?

The ending! I was not expecting that at all! I like that in my books, unpredictability, and Krista McGee achieves just that! In fact that had me rethinking the entire book! This may require a reread to figure out how in the world I missed that.

All in all Anomaly is a great read. I finished it all in one night because I just couldn't put it down. It will keep you thinking and keep you surprised. I am very much looking forward to reading Luminary (book 2) and can't wait to see what's next in this exciting dystopian adventure!

I'm really excited about Anomaly because, one, I've really enjoyed Krista's other books, (which are contemporary re-imaginings of Bible stories. Transporting the story the story of Esther to a reality-dating show? Genius!) and two, it's Christian Teen Dystopian fiction! Thalli's voice grabbed me from the first sentence and never let go. You catch some of the wonder that she feels as she experiences new emotions for the first time and eventually comes to know the Designer. The plot twists were a little predictable, and Berk is a little too perfect, but I still can't wait for Luminary! A great addition to the Inspirational YA canon, Anomaly is also a great example of the what new face of Christian Teen fiction looks like. Authors like Krista McGee are helping this genre find its feet and it's exciting to see!

It's summertime...which means it's the perfect time to get lost in a few Christian fiction novels! This one is a real page-turner (I read it in 2 days!) I can easily see this book being turned into a movie someday.

Anomaly is a sci-fi story set in the future. The world has been destroyed by a nuclear war and the only survivors are a group of scientists who had been developing and creating an underground facility to sustain life. The scientists have created a new society in which humans are genetically designed to be devoid of emotion and each have certain skills to be used to benefit the community. They decided that taking out emotions would be the best way to prevent people from hurting each other and destroying the small remnant that remained. So the question is raised...what would a society like that look like? A society without anger, without jealousy, without lust, yet without love and without faith.

The main character, Thalli, is an anomaly...she can feel...and she has questions. The problem is that humans who get sick or have emotions are considered dangerous to the society and are annihilated. This story is about her adventure in discovering who she is and who her real Designer is, while keeping her quest hidden from those who would consider her curiosity a threat.

I really enjoyed this book. It was a stretch from reality, yet it raises some interesting questions. The suspense and a few twists and turns keeps the story moving. There is also an element of romance, which is presented in a pure and tasteful manner.

This book is the first in a triology. The only bad part about reading it now is that I have to wait until January 2014 for the next book, Luminary, to come out!

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

This is a good read by Krista McGee (a new author to me). I liked the dystopian plot/environment and some of the plot twists, most of which surprised me. I also liked the older character John, who shares his wisdom with Thalli. And although I like Christian fiction, some of this felt a little over the top (which is why I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars). This is a tough call -- do you write the whole gospel message so that all questions are answered? Or do you allude to the message so that seekers continue to look for answers? Not sure, but after reading this there shouldn't be any questions.
And I love the connection between Berk and Thalli -- finally a guy that is smart and nerdy but a cutie, as well.

Usually, science-fiction type books are at the far, far, far bottom of my MUST READ list. But, since this is targeted for youth and being intrigued by the summary, I decided to check it out for my children. The book was very interesting and the story grabbed me from the very beginning. The twists, turns and tests that occur after Thalli's anomaly is discovered by The Ten kept me on my toes. My favorite characters are Thalli, for her courage and determination, and John, for his diligence in preaching the gospel to those being annihilated and eventually to Thalli and Berk.

This is the first book in a series. I will definitely be on the lookout for the rest.

This book was provided by Litfuse Publicity Group for review without compensation.

There are only a handful of humans remaining after the Nuclear War decimated what used to be the world as we know it. Only for those of us left, we don't have any memory of that world. All we have are the lessons we study about the world that once was. We are segregated by generations and in my Pod C, there are only about thirty of us. Each of us has a talent that only we alone possess. For me, Thalli, I am a musician. I can read and create music as though that was all I was born to do. For my roommates they have their own special skills, cooking, inventing, designing and even logical thinking. We are kept away from the other Pods B and A, as they are another generation ahead of us. We have no parents and we don't even consider those of us dwelling in this Pod as friends really. We just go about our days like we're supposed to only for me, I am considered an anomaly, because I think. I ask too many questions. I wonder why more than I just accept things like my Pod mates. My only ally is Beck who is a wonderful scientist and who sense there is more to me than I am supposed to be.

Whenever illness comes, we are removed and never seen again. They call it annihilation and we cease to be. Thanks to a group of scientists known as The Ten, we are able to live and find ways to grow food beneath the ground. We can't go above because the air is toxic and we would simply die. So for now, we continue to work on finding a way to survive in this existence, but if they learn that I am not all I am supposed to be, it will be my turn for annihilation. Only scientists are allowed to ask questions and to wonder why. I am simply to create music. However when I am asked to play an old piece of music left behind by the world before us, I can't hide the emotions that the song brings out in me. Now I am moved to isolation and the experiments begin to see if I possess anything that can be useful before I am annihilated.

But will the world I believe is my home turn out instead to be a virtual one? A simulation so real that all of my senses are engaged and I can not longer differentiate from what is real and what is not? What is my true calling in this life? Is there hope for something more than simply what I was created to be? How much longer will I be allowed to live before I am no longer a viable option?

In the novel Anomaly by author Krista McGee, Thalli is a young girl who begins to wonder if there is something more than what she has been lead to believe her whole life. She knows nothing of parents, love or God other than what she is reading about through her history lessons on her learning pad. This calls into question what would happen if just a handful of humans remained on the earth after a horrible nuclear war. How would they survive? What would they do to maintain law and order in their society? This is just that premise that Krista breathes to life in this dystopain fiction that sounds like a futuristic version of Lord of the Flies. I absolutely LOVED all the shifting of realities and soon found myself questioning what is real or isn't in this wonderful science fiction young adult novel. For anyone who loves this type of genre, you will not be the slightest bit disappointed.

I received Anomaly by Krista McGee compliments of Thomas Nelson Publishers and Litfuse Publicity for my honest review. I received no monetary compensation for a favorable review. Knowing how quickly we are creating our own virtual reality's in video games, this one really took me by surprised and wondered just how far along are we really. This really does create a sense of what if, when you read this one and makes us question just how beneficial is technology in the future. How will this world survive if we found ourselves in the situation Krista created in this novel. This is definitely a novel that makes you wonder how you would handle creating a lasting remnant if given the chance. How much freedom would you allow people to have? I rate this one a 4.5 out of 5 stars and there's even some discussion questions included for book groups or small group study.

I've heard great things about Krista McGee's books, so when I found out about Anomaly, I knew I had to read it - especially since it's dystopian (I absolutely love this genre!).

Anomaly completely met my expectations, as I ended up loving it. The story held my attention throughout and I loved the characters. I think my favorite character would have to be Berk, though John and Thalli were close runner-ups.

The ending was fantastic and definitely leaves me itching to read the next book, Luminary, as soon as possible. Can't believe we have to wait until January for its release...

Overall, Anomaly was a wonderful YA dystopian read! If you enjoy these types of books, I recommend Anomaly! :)

*I received this book for free for my review. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.*

First, a big thank you hug to Krista and Litfuse for sending Anomaly: I really, really wanted to read and review this one!

Thalli, named for the Thallium, the element with the number 81 in the periodic table.
All humans created in The State had been named for elements,
and she was no different, as it was meant to be.
Nobody was supposed to be any different,
anomalies to the careful design were not to be tolerated.
Thalli knew this, as did Berkelium {Berk} and Rhenium {Rhen}.
Everyone in Pod C, and in all the other pods, knew it as well. Yet Astatine {Asta} still became an anomaly and had to be taken away. That was when they were all nine years of age...the first time Thalli ever saw an anomaly and the consequences that being one brought.

It was not until she was seventeen did she begin to seriously display her own abnormalities.
Thalli was the Pod musician, and when she played it was not only a beneficial function that calmed her Podmates' minds and increased their productivity, she played to let her happiness and grief loose in the music.
Those things, emotions, where not supposed to exist here.
Emotions caused conflict and conflict had caused the great desolation on the surface of the earth, where no one could now go.
It was a strange, old parchment from a primitive ancient composer that whose notes, when she released them from her violin, where so achingly beautiful that her heart broke open and emotion poured forth. Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring.
Thalli didn't understand the words, but she knew what the music meant to her.

And we pause as we read Anomaly , and we praise God for creating emotion, for giving us the ability to Love, for presenting us with aching beauty, for the simple yet heavenly pleasure of looking up at the moon. We Praise God for His Son, for letting us know Him and call Him ours, for giving us His Word and His people to help us know him better.

This world, where they hope for salvation-from-the-scientists, this hidden State ruled supposedly by ten enlightened men, this place where simulation can control the mind as easily as reality, it makes us pause and think about the meanings of things. Like every good story, your brain continues to wrestle with it after the book is "over."

I am so glad to hear that Luminary: Book Two will be out in early 2014!

You can follow the rest of Litfuse's Blog Tour here: Krista McGee | Litfuse Publicity Group |

Years in the future, a Nuclear War has destroyed life on Earth. Yet there is a community of Scientists, known as the Ten, who have genetically engineered humans to be free of emotions in the hopes that another war can be prevented. Thalli is different than the others. She feels and reacts to emotions. So far she has managed to keep her feelings hidden from the Scientists. But when she reacts to an ancient piece of music she's asked to play, she suddenly finds herself facing annihilation. At the urging of a young Scientist and friend of Thalli's, she is granted a chance to live - if only to be studied. But as the experiments and simulations start to take place on her, Thalli and Berk form a dangerous and forbidden alliance. Thalli also discovers a Designer who may be even more powerful than the Scientists. Will Thalli's emotional outbursts put all of those she loves in danger including herself, or will there be an escape?

Having read Krista McGee's other books and enjoyed them, I was curious to see what this book would be about. It's VERY different than her other series. But I really enjoyed it. As I was reading it, I felt that it was an almost Hunger Games type of novel. And I saw the similarities between them immediately. The biggest difference, aside from the fact that this is a Christian fiction book, is that the characters are not in a competition for their lives. This had a society that has genetically altered humans to have no feelings. Any sicknesses (common colds, etc) are causes for immediate removal and Thalli is considered an anomaly because she doesn't accept the way that things are.

What I loved the best about this book was the relationships between Thalli and John and Thalli and Berk. I did not like that those who were different were removed from the society. I felt that that was too close to what Hitler tried to do during WWII. Don't get me wrong. Those removal scenes were in fact necessary for the reader to understand that the Scientists were manipulating the society and that there was something else out there for Thalli to believe in.

I did enjoy this book. I look forward to the next one in this series.

I received this book for free from Thomas Nelson's Booksneeze program for the purpose of reviewing. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Recommended to fans of the Hunger Games, Dystopian fiction, Krista McGee, Jenny B. Jones, young adult books

Rating - 4 stars

In the past, the genres of fantasy/dystopian/scifi and the genre of Christian fiction have never mixed well, either because the author just couldn't grasp the power to write outside the Christian box or the spirituality felt contrived and forced. And so, it was with these past experiences that I went into reading this most recent book on my book review stack.

And consequently, was thoroughly impressed with this Christian Dystopian novel Anomaly by Krista McGee.

Thalli lives in an underground compound with a small group of humans, where emotions have been taken out of human DNA following the destruction of the rest of the human race on the surface of the earth. In a structured world where everyone has it's place, everything is monitored, and no one even has the DNA to ask questions anymore, Thalli finds herself hiding a terrible secret: she feels emotion and she wants to ask questions. Forced to hide her secret or face Annihilation, she finds herself in the middle of a two diverse sides, as she and her friends struggle to stay alive in a society where nothing is sure and even reality may not be real anymore.

From pretty much the very start, I was captivated by the premise of this story. It's not a new story, there have been other books written about life underground after worldwide chaos and even the absence of human emotions isn't a new concept on the increasingly popular Dystopian market. But despite this, Anomaly, in it's quiet way, stands up with the rest and stakes it claim as a viable member of the genre.

Pros: as I said before, it is hard to wage an argument for God in a dystopian/fantasy setting, it's not very often those two ideas meet on friendly terms. But I personally find that author Krista McGee did a superb job of blending the two in a believable story where each contributed to the other.

I found the characters believable and easy to root for as their story progressed with each turned page and was completely caught off guard with a very unexpected ending, which is not something that usually happens to me. To anyone who reads Anomly, as you reach the ending, know in advance that there is a sequel schedules for next year.

Cons: I really didn't have anything jump out at me waving red flags during the few hours spent readings this book. There were a few moments where I wondered to myself "that was too easy," at some particular moment in the story, but nothing overall that really warranted major scrutinizing.

In summary, Anomaly will stand out to me as one of my best reads of the year and I've already loaned it to my younger sister to read. Perhaps it will keep her up reading until 1am like it did me. :)

4.5 out of 5

This book was provided to me free by Thomas Nelson Publishing via Booksneeze in exchange for an honest review.

This book had me intrigued the whole time. Earth is pretty much demolished in a nuclear warfare but the Ten scientists who survived had made a "colony". These scientists made people but with specific DNA so that they do not have what they thought was wrong with people such as emotions and made them for specific tasks. Thalli was made to be a musician. The problem was she had emotions, strong emotions. When she was a little girl she lost her two best friends, Berk and Asta. Berk left to be a scientist and Asta was annihilated.

For 17 years Thalli hid her emotions and curiosity. The only person she had ever let see that side of her was Berk who she missed and wished to see. After one day when she was placed in isolation she snuck out and saw Berk and a dead body. Berk helped her back to safety and kept it a secret but it wasn't long before the Monitor's figured out that Thalli was not normal. She was sent to be annihilated. While in wait she meets John who did not conform to the scientist thinking but kept his faith in Christ strong. He shared Jesus to each person before they were annihilated. When Berk finds out about Thalli he does everything in his power to keep her alive and with him but the other scientists don't make it easy.

Berk and Thalli get closer and closer. Berk finds every excuse to get alone with Thalli even if its just a hug. Their desperation to stay alive moves mountains especially once they see their is more to what the scientist have been teaching them. John becomes their closest friend and he teaches them all about the Designer and Jesus. John also explains what love is and shows them that what they feel for each other is different from what they feel for anyone else.

I am a sucker for helpless love stories. Berk and Thalli won my heart even when they were little. I wanted them to be together so bad. It was so adorable watching their feelings grow and how they learned what those feelings were. My the end of the book I wanted to squeeze them (haha). I love how much Scripture there was and the way "the Designer" was showed. I am definitely an end times believe so this story was even better for me. Being a believe in Jesus it drives me crazy when science tries to remove Jesus from the equation. John's faith stood strong and didn't hesitate to share his faith. Krista McGee did an awesome job with this book and I can't wait to read more from her.

The premise of this book throughly intrigued me as I'm an avid dystopian reader ever since I read Hunger Games in 2009. While the writing was superb and the character sympathetic, I was slightly disappointed with this novel.

I had a hard time following the distorted reality and what was real versus simulation. It made the main character feel unreliable at times as a narrator. (I had the same issues with Mockingjay, book three in the Hunger Games series, so that isn't a bad thing!) ;-)

That said, the hero and dystopian world is excellent and I look forward to what Mcgee does in the next book.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

Talk about starting a series off with a bang! Krista McGee nailed it with Anomaly. I have read many different kinds of dystopian books and Anomaly is now at the top.

Thalli is a seventeen year old girl, who lives in a place called The State. The world as we know it is gone. People are no longer created in the "primitive" way. Instead people, like Thalli, are genetically created. There are no mothers, no fathers, no families. Just groups of people created for each generation. Thalli, is apart of the third generation. People are bred to bring a specific specialty to each generation. Thalli's is music, since it has been shown that music helps productivity. With the genetic enhancements, sickness is almost eradicated, along with emotions...or so The Ten thought. Every so often, an Anomaly occurs.

When Thalli is discovered as an anomaly, she is brought to the Ten. They want to test her out and find out why she is different, and during her time, she meets an old man, John. He introduces her to thoughts and ideas that she had no idea were there. She learns from John about the Designer and the things that the Ten wanted to eradicate from their new way of life.

Anomaly had several twist in the story and the ending I didn't see coming at all. I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

Thank you to Booksneeze and Thomas Nelson, I received this book for free for an honest opinion.

My 13 year old daughter loves to read. However, it's so hard to find something that isn't vampires or infiltrated with inappropriate and unedifying stuff. So when I find an author that is Christian, writes teen fiction, and is one that my daughter actually LIKES - I am one happy mamma. Krista McGee is just that!

We've had her previous books First Date and Starring me in our house for a few months now. They are young adult contemporary fiction books that are an easy, uplifting read for teens. Imagine my surprise when my next book review was authored by McGee and was not her typical "chick lit" but "dystopian lit."

What is dystopian literature you may ask? Think 1984 and Lord of the Flies. A dystopia is a fictional society that is the opposite of utopia. It is usually consists of a totalitarian form of government that suppresses it's society and has a protagonist who sees the injustice and tries to right everything.

Anomaly is dystopian literature at it's finest.

Anomaly is the first book in a trilogy whose main character is Thalli, an anomaly born with the ability to feel emotions and has such curiosity that it causes her to eventually stick out - and not in a good way. Since society has moved underground because of a nuclear war which decimated earth, everyone is controlled by a handful of scientists known as The Ten. God is removed. Emotion is eliminated. Love is not known.

This book had me immediately sucked in and I literally couldn't put it down until I was finished. In fact, I can't wait until book 2 comes out on January 7, 2014! I highly recommend this book to all teenagers and adults alike. It's pretty intense, but if you like science fiction or dystopian fiction...this books is for you.

It's hard to find great YA books that stay true to a biblical worldview. So I am excited to be able to highly recommend Krista McGee's Anomaly. What a great read! The characters drew me in right away. The author did a great job of creating a world, and the characters in that world, that is believable and real. I fell in love with Thalli on the first page and loved seeing her world through her eyes. I look forward to reading the rest of the books in this series, even though I know that I'll have to wait a bit for the next book. Still I highly recommend Anomaly to those who love speculative fiction, both YA and adults.

Anomaly by Krista McGee is a refreshingly original and incredibly unique experience that plunges readers into the depths of the human heart while at the same time desperately tries to reconcile those feelings with the logic of the mind. As you can imagine, that task would be near impossible, but that is not to say that there are those who will not stop trying in the hopes of closing out the heart and allowing logic to take over. It is for those that I believe this story was written. You cannot blot out hope, love, and faith only to replace it with logic, uniformity, and rules. The only result would be to remove the purpose and desire for living. What a horrible existence that would be!

We follow McGee’s beautiful and ingenious characters, Thalli and Berk, as they are forced apart and then reunited under precarious circumstances. The tender and innocent love that they nurture is endangered by a death sentence placed on Thalli because she is an anomaly. Her variances are seen as a malformation and targeted for immediate removal. Heartbroken by this revelation, Berk vows to do all that he can to save Thalli. Together, they journey to the edge of a precipice that will forever change them and the world around them.

I dare you to deceive the system set in place to protect you from yourself. I put forth a challenge to all who dare to listen. Live at your own risk. Love at your own risk. Don’t ignore the One who created you. Believe in Him. Believe in yourself. In a world controlled by a strict observance of the status quo, your reality is only a shallow reflection of the truth that lies far below. Don’t stifle the truth. Question the lies.

Krista McGee is a truly insightful and imaginative author! I was immediately entranced by her world, and I loved every minute of it. The fascinating technology and the simple yet complex setup of her society beckoned me to learn more until I was utterly immersed and intrigued. This is a story that fans of sci-fi and dystopian will thoroughly enjoy. I look forward to reading more stories from this wonderful author.

My Rating is 4.5 Stars

On front cover: QUESTION. FEEL. BELIEVE.

This is the definition for the word anomaly: deviation or departure from the normal or common order, form, or rule. I really like that definition and it fits Thalli so well. Thalli lives in a world that is underground....she has no knowledge of what Earth is like, she has never seen the ocean, and taking turns to see the moon is a rare privilege. She is 17 years old and the underground, called the State, is run by scientists. There are 10 scientists and they in turn are training the next generation of genetically engineered human beings to take over when the time is right. There are no more families, no more children, no dust or sickness, and everything is controlled, measured, or rationed according to each population. There is no more emotions, no more belief system, and no more love. There are different pods separated by age group/generation and each person in these sections has been engineered to master one thing. Thalli is a musician; there is also a dietician, historian, mathematician, horticulturist, etc. She loves music and can play any instrument. She expresses herself through music and analyzes her feelings for others through music.

One night Thalli's pod, Pod C, is schedule to view the moon, but something goes wrong and they must be rescheduled. Thalli gets suspicious because nothing ever gets rescheduled, things in her world never go wrong. That's about to change.

At some point Thalli is sent to the music room to play a piece she's never seen before. While she is playing she loses herself in the music and she is caught sobbing uncontrollably. Scientists believe that if anything not engineered shows up within the State, that this could be contagious or cause disorder. The characters in the plot define anomaly as rushing through lessons, curiosity, arguing, having emotions.

Will Thalli survive what these scientists have in store for her? Will she discover the truth in time? As the scientists realize mistakes that have been made along the way, will Thalli be able to help them find answers?

Thalli herself is kind of childish at first, but there is such an innocence about her and she has an amazing heart for being a genetically engineered person with brilliant potential. Then she meets John and he teaches her about the real Designer and opens her mind to impossibilities beyond what she has been taught or trained to believe.

The main lesson I got from this story is how society trains us to believe untrue concepts that we buy into. Yes, we need authority and to respect order, but we also have to remember that as believers we are not of this world. We're here to fulfill God's purpose for our lives not to fit in or be like everyone else. Our minds, our bodies, and our purpose are not supposed to be conformed to what the world dictates, that's not where our identity originates from and it's not where our destiny is. This is a powerful reminder throughout the book.

I absolutely loved reading this book, but as a reader I also want to point out that nothing in the plot is what it seems. It's easy to read, chapters are short, and it can be read in one or two sittings, but things definitely get intense and the story grabs your heart through Thalli's journey. It's truly amazing what she endures, how she is constantly tested, and how callous/uninvolved the scientists treat her as they study her with every response (there is no relationship with these doctors and their patients, only acceptance and duty). Her innocence remains, but her growth and discernment steadily increase with her intelligence throughout the story. That to me was more interesting than all the technology, all the logic, and all that goes wrong with the scientists' calculations.

The movie this book reminded me of was The Island with Scarlett Johansson and Ewan McGregor. There really isn't any violence in the story, but Thalli's mind gets played with a lot (sometimes that can be worse than violence, but nothing graphic or disorderly happens in the book). I absolutely loved Berk and was amazed at the risks and sacrifices he makes to protect Thalli. My main question for him was, "Did you get ANY sleep in this story?" I also liked Rhen, she reminded me of a female Spock from Star Trek. I truly look forward to the sequel, Luminary, coming early 2014!

I want to thank Booksneeze and Thomas Nelson for the review copy provided. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own.

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley for an honest review for my stop on the blog tour.

Wow! I'm just now coming up for air after immersing myself in Thalli's story. The synopsis had caught my attention the moment I saw it, and I couldn't help but to try to think of different ways this story might go. With all of the twists and turns, I'm still catching my breath and never could have imagined a story like I just read - it was so much more than I was expecting.

The world that Krista McGee creates is absolutely creative and so shocking...to have human emotions ripped away from us in order to have a peaceful productive society? Would the lack of feeling be worth the peace? Would it be worth it to live without experiencing emotions? These are some of the questions I found myself thinking about because I know everything comes at a price.

What happens when a member of this society begins to feel? They're annihilated, and that's exactly the word used, which conjured up images of being blown to bits. How is that keeping peacefulness and productivity? Annihilated. Not just "terminated" or "executed." Very strong word of destruction. When Thalli finds herself experiencing sadness or joy or curiosity she has a hard time hiding these emotions from those around her. She slips up, is found out, and is scheduled to be annihilated.

I don't want to talk about the plot itself because it's so intricate and complicated, I fear I might give something away without realizing it. I do want to express how much I love the way this story was told and how it can launch a thousand interesting and thought provoking discussions. I was kept on my toes - just when I thought I was figuring out what was going on, something would happen, taking me in a new direction. It was a fun ride!

I thought about the Vulcans from Star Trek throughout the novel because they find emotions to be "illogical," and Thalli's friend, Rhen, made me think of Spock. She'd say, "I don't understand," when Thalli would ask her a question, and I knew she really didn't understand because of the way she thinks. The idea of whether emotions are okay to have or whether they're destructive to us as human beings is the central theme of this book. I loved how many questions about life in general and how to live are raised by this story. I was given much to think about.

If you're a fellow dystopia lover like me and looking for something new and fresh in the genre, this book needs to be the next one you read! :)

Seventeen-year-old Thalli has been scheduled for annihilation. She is the Musician for her pod, her group of peers, and she feels emotions, something the post-apocalyptic society she lives in has attempted to remove through genetic engineering. Berk, her childhood friend, is now a Scientist and persuades his colleagues to save her for study. She is given a reprieve, but as the experiments start, she soon starts to wonder what is real and what is not.

Krista McGee's last three books were contemporary YA chick-lit romances, stories of young women finding God and finding love in the hot-house of reality television (so perhaps they were actually fantasy?). Anomaly is YA Christian sci-fi, which is both a dramatic departure from her earlier books, and a small but growing niche in Christian fiction. That was a surprise: not only that an author with a following in YA romance would move into such a different genre, but that she'd do it so well. This is good. Really good. Read-in-one-sitting good.

Anomaly has similarities to many other sci-fi classics I read as a teenager or as an adult (most of which I can't remember the names of but The Giver, TV shows such as Jeremiah, and movies like Logan's Run do spring to mind). Anomaly paid homage to some of these classics with its post-apocalyptic emotionless society living deep in the mountains of Colorado, a society that assigns children into roles at birth and terminates those who don't fit in. It has a definite Christian take on that future society, from John as the remnant to the concept of a Designer.

It wasn't perfect: I do have some questions, like why a small science-driven society that genetically engineers people to serve a specific purpose saw the need for a Musician, and how John's son has such different values and beliefs to those of his parents. But these are small niggles. The sequel (Luminary) is due out in January 2014, and I'll be looking forward to it.

Recommended for those who enjoyed books like The Giver and The Hunger Games. Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

An interesting dystopian novel that embraces a Christian message too. I love a dystopian book that contains hope, and Anomaly does. It took me awhile to get into the story, perhaps because the main character is trying to be devoid of emotion (as she was designed to be), but as I read I kept turning the pages, intrigued to know more. Some unique elements involving music and the brain added depth. Anomaly takes a more literary route than its contemporaries The Hunger Games and Divergent, and that's not a bad thing. Just don't expect blazing guns, flying arrows, and edge-of-your-seat thrills. The ending has me eagerly anticipating Book 2!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers. Thalli has never fit in. She has feelings, and that could get her killed. Thalli has always been able to hide her feelings, until she is asked to play an ancient song. She is unable to contain her feelings, and she is taken away.
Thalli is a very likable character. She is very strong and determined. The world is interesting. They live underground in a facility that was meant to protect the leaders. The leaders where unable to make it to the facility, so only the scientists were saved. There is a twist right at the end of the story. I did not see it coming.

This was a very different book than what I have read in a while. It is set in the future, after the world has been destroyed by Nuclear Weaponry. Our story takes place in "The State", more or less a bomb shelter that is shut off from the outside and trying to keep human kind alive. As you read, yes human kind was preserved, but everything that makes us humane is taken from us. The people who are living in this place know nothing of love, feelings, or anything but having a set purpose. It kind of reminds me of the movie, The Island, in the way the people live.

I did not find this to be a bad or boring book by any means. I thought it was a little depressing, as nothing seems to go well for our MC. You can not help but feel sorry for the residents of this new society.

I ended up liking our MC, Thallie, a lot. She has the qualities of humanity, and because of her will to hold on to them, her life is in danger. She is brave and daring. She just wants to be herself and to be free and no one can blame her for that.

There is a character who talks about the Ultimate Designer. The scientists, with creating The State, have taken a higher belief completely out of the new way of life. I felt like it was a tad "preachy" at times and didn't fit the story. However, I could also see it as a way of pointing out that humans by nature want to believe in something more. Something to give us faith and hope in life. I like to read a book with christian values from time to time for my own faith, but with this book I felt like it was forced into the story line instead of flowing with the course of it.

I would read the next in the series to find out what happens. I think it will be very interesting to read more about this world that has been painted for us. I gave it a 3.5 because where I did not hate the book, I am not dying to get my hands on the next one. But it's an interesting new dystopian series!

In this novel of the future, nuclear war has occurred. The land, the water, and the air are all contaminated. People live underground in a society directed by The Scientists. They develop genetically engineered young people who are raised in a communal setting. Some are designed to be logical thinkers. Some become scientists. Others are workers. And when a person is no longer needed, he is annihilated.

Thalli was designed to be a musician. Her purpose is to stimulate the others in her pod so they will do their jobs better. But at seventeen, Thalli knew she was different from the others. She questioned while the others merely accepted. She felt when others showed no feelings. She was an anomaly. And that was why she was going to be annihilated.

I really liked this novel for young people. It had everything a futuristic novel should have. There is the post nuclear war future with a living environment controlled by scientists - one of whom gets inside people's brains. There is lots of futuristic equipment. There is the desire for a meaningful and emotion filled life. There is word of a Designer when all belief in God has been erased. There is the possibility of love as Thalli's friend, now scientist in training, Berk tries to help her live.

I especially liked the twisting of perception, going from reality to a simulated reality without the subject knowing. Like Thalli, I began wondering if the current scene was real or a created reality. And the twist at the end, speaking of created reality, was great.

This is a great novel for teens. There is a great presentation of the gospel and faith in Jesus. Teens who would like a thoughtful futuristic novel will like this one.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review.

In a world rules by silence and no religion of ANY KIND. People live in pods that are underground. This is where we start our story. I really loved this book! And I think that is saying something since I've been pagan for over 20 years. I never knew that a mix of Teen, Dystopian, and Christian all together could work so well! So if you think you won't like it because its Christian. You are so wrong and should give it a try!

Thalli is a girl whom is an anomaly. She has already seen one of her friends taken away never to be seen again. So when it happens to her she decides to fight back. But, of course she is over powered and taken for annihilation. But there she meets Berk. The boy whom saves her life by postponing her death. And in the underbelly of the pods she finds something else that will forever change her.

The one thing I do understand is the scientist eradicating all religion in the pods. I understand their thought process thinking if they get rid of it that they will all be better off. But I also believe that they are wrong. Yes, many wars have been fought and even more have died/been murdered in the name of a god. But, faith/religion also gives you hope for a better future. It brings you something to believe in when there is nothing but darkness. For in darkness there is light! And that light is called Hope!

Ps: I hope that I am lucky enough to get a copy of book two!
"*I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own."

Anomaly by Krista McGee is a wonderful book. It is full of action that leaves you guessing what will happen next. You never know who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. And there is a great twist at the end that you don't expect. This is definitely one of the best books I have read in a long time. I simply did not want to put it down.
The story takes place on the earth after it has been destroyed by nuclear war. A group of people living underground are trying to survive with little resources and have created a new way of life. Thalli was born in a day when emotions are not acceptable and she may lose her life if it is discovered that she feels things like others don't. She is an anomaly. Her best friend Berk tries to save her life in his role as a scientist. Will he be able to convince the others that she is valuable enough to save?
The characters are well developed and you begin to love them all. I loved the old man who told them about Jesus. I loved the twists and turns along the way in this exciting book.
I received this book from Booksneeze for an honest review.

Anomaly is a fantastic sci-fi dystopian book that anyone who enjoyed Delirium or Matched will love. It is easy to make comparisons to those books, but Anomaly is a unique story all on it's own. I will say that I was surprised when Christianity made an appearance, but it did not dissuade me in the slightest. Coming from a Christian based home, I was pleased to find a YA book that held Christian principles. *Please don't let that turn you away from reading this in the slightest. The book in no way forces religion on anyone.*
The story as a whole was incredible. I was immediately intrigued with the lifestyle and the visual descriptions found throughout the book. Krista McGee has in fact started this series off in a fantastic way! While I love the characters Thalli and Berk, there is just something about John that captivates me. It must be how he describes his love and his life in general. I love his whole view on life and the love he has is a very rare thing.
Anomaly is a must read for me and one that I highly recommend for those who enjoy dystopian books.

Anomaly by Krista McGee is mind-mending. I personally never would have thought that a YA novel could grip me like this one did. I was traveling on a written journey and I took every step enthusiastically. The whole idea of having mere minutes to save the life of humankind is a journey worth reading about. I never had so much fun being gripped to a book like I was to Anomaly. It was such an amazing story to read that I think any person can enjoy this novel. It is a series not to be missed.

When I finished this book, I had no words. I was speechless yet I was jumping up and down with excitement. I could not and did not put this book down.

I cannot say much without giving some secrets away. At first, this book reminded me of one of my favorite movies, The Island. But as I continued to read, it was nothing like the movie. Usually, you can guess the ending to a book. For instance, in a romance you would bet that they live happily ever after. This book confused me. I should not say it like that...the book did not confuse me, but the story did. It has so many twists and turns and insinuations and surprises that I was as confused as the main character, Thalli. With each new twist and each new turn and my own way of thinking, I was rendered shocked and speechless.

Well done Krista McGee! A fantastic must read!

Until next time, live life one page at a time!

I loved the light romance, Thalli's sweet, innocent character, and the twist at the end of that made me scream, "I need the sequel ASAP!" I will not be satisfied until I hold a copy of Luminary is my shaking hands. (which, sadly, will be in 2014. It's only 4 months, right?) There really isn't anything in this book I can complain about. The characters were all really well-written. The religious aspect to it wasn't pushy at all. And there were no plot-holes! ~ The Maniacal Bookworm

hoestley wasnt too sure this would be a good read …but to my surprise was witten well, interesting characters with a good plot! Actually thought this would be a great movie, that gave a positive twist on the whole dystopia theme. Cant wait to see what happens

I just finished one of the most captivating books I've read in a very long time! After forgetting I had it (I blame Tolstoy), I picked it up today while my kiddos were doing the last of their homework and I was glued to it until the last page. I'm afraid to admit that I didn't even stop to go to the bathroom or get a drink, though I did take a short break to put my littles to bed and pray for them.

This book is simply amazing! The writing style and the dystopian feel is very similar to the Hunger Games trilogy, and it seems this book will actually be the first in its own trilogy. I am terribly impatient knowing I'll have to wait until July 2014 to read the 2nd part! The characters are so real, the plot has twists and turns the reader does not expect, and the ending is both a hopeful one and a cliffhanger.

If you don't buy any other new book this year, buy this one!

Anomaly is a 2013 young adult science fiction novel by Krista McGee. Here, in a post-apocalyptic eugenics lab, a girl is singled out for execution because she experiences emotions.

Anomaly is reminiscent of a number of books and films, including The Hunger Games, The Island, and THX 1138. The problem is not that Anomaly ever feels too derivative, but that it never really carves out its own niche. A little more setting and world building would have gone a long way toward making the book more immersive and giving it a distinct identity.

Anomaly follows all the traditions established by The Hunger Games for the currently popular female-protagonized dystopian young adult sci fi genre, no matter how forced, such as writing in the first-person present tense and including the obligatory two love interests, regardless of how believable. This doesn't help Anomaly's quest for identity, either.

Anomaly turns out to be an overtly Christian book, and McGee does a nice job of presenting the Gospel accurately and exploring faith in the face of death. Unfortunately, the Gospel presentation itself feels forced, like McGee has an agenda, and this contrivance saps meaning from Thalli's obviously inevitable conversion.

Contrivance, which turns out to be widespread throughout the book, is Anomaly's biggest problem. Things happen because McGee needs them to happen, perhaps leading the reader to ask things like "Why on earth don't they ever lock Thalli's door?" "Why doesn't anybody seem to care that she has constant access to John?" and "Who the heck is responsible for the cameras around here?" (never mind questions like "Why do they call them `the Ancients' when this is like two generations later and at least one is still alive?" and "Why don't they ever kiss?").

Complicating this criticism, however, is the fact that McGee tries to address nearly all these contrivances in the last few pages. It's a nice try at getting away with it, I guess, but it's pretty unsatisfying, it may make the reader wonder at just how oblivious these characters are, and it really doesn't have the air of competence about it.

There are other issues. McGee's writing is at a lower level than one typically expects from this genre: there are a lot of simple, see-Dick-run sentences, and it doesn't help that Thalli is a master of stating the obvious or that everyone talks to her like she's a little child (which may be necessary for the character but is grating for the reader). The general lack of contractions in speech makes for some stilted dialogue (but these test-tube kids do use them every now and then), and McGee has a tendency to go back and forth between the past and present tenses in an awkward way.

Thalli herself is just too passive to be a compelling protagonist, as by and large, she's acted upon by various other characters, clueless, led here and there by their actions. No, the real protagonist of Anomaly is Berk, who perpetually risks both his life and career to act on behalf of Thalli. But he remains on the sideline as a supporting character, appearing when needed to save the day or advance the plot.

Anomaly is a book I wanted to like, and I take no pleasure in giving it a bad review. But the volume of contrivance and the quality of the writing are deal-breakers.

* * * * *

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Anomaly by Krista McGee is mind-mending. I personally never would have thought that a YA novel could grip me like this one did. I was traveling on a written journey and I took every step enthusiastically. The whole idea of having mere minutes to save the life of humankind is a journey worth reading about. I never had so much fun being gripped to a book like I was to Anomaly. It was such an amazing story to read that I think any person can enjoy this novel. It is a series not to be missed.

When I finished this book, I had no words. I was speechless yet I was jumping up and down with excitement. I could not and did not put this book down.

I cannot say much without giving some secrets away. At first, this book reminded me of one of my favorite movies, The Island. But as I continued to read, it was nothing like the movie. Usually, you can guess the ending to a book. For instance, in a romance you would bet that they live happily ever after. This book confused me. I should not say it like that...the book did not confuse me, but the story did. It has so many twists and turns and insinuations and surprises that I was as confused as the main character, Thalli. With each new twist and each new turn and my own way of thinking, I was rendered shocked and speechless.

Well done Krista McGee! A fantastic must read!

Until next time, live life one page at a time!

I loved the light romance, Thalli's sweet, innocent character, and the twist at the end of that made me scream, "I need the sequel ASAP!" I will not be satisfied until I hold a copy of Luminary is my shaking hands. (which, sadly, will be in 2014. It's only 4 months, right?) There really isn't anything in this book I can complain about. The characters were all really well-written. The religious aspect to it wasn't pushy at all. And there were no plot-holes! ~ The Maniacal Bookworm

hoestley wasnt too sure this would be a good read …but to my surprise was witten well, interesting characters with a good plot! Actually thought this would be a great movie, that gave a positive twist on the whole dystopia theme. Cant wait to see what happens

I just finished one of the most captivating books I've read in a very long time! After forgetting I had it (I blame Tolstoy), I picked it up today while my kiddos were doing the last of their homework and I was glued to it until the last page. I'm afraid to admit that I didn't even stop to go to the bathroom or get a drink, though I did take a short break to put my littles to bed and pray for them.

This book is simply amazing! The writing style and the dystopian feel is very similar to the Hunger Games trilogy, and it seems this book will actually be the first in its own trilogy. I am terribly impatient knowing I'll have to wait until July 2014 to read the 2nd part! The characters are so real, the plot has twists and turns the reader does not expect, and the ending is both a hopeful one and a cliffhanger.

If you don't buy any other new book this year, buy this one!

Anomaly is a 2013 young adult science fiction novel by Krista McGee. Here, in a post-apocalyptic eugenics lab, a girl is singled out for execution because she experiences emotions.

Anomaly is reminiscent of a number of books and films, including The Hunger Games, The Island, and THX 1138. The problem is not that Anomaly ever feels too derivative, but that it never really carves out its own niche. A little more setting and world building would have gone a long way toward making the book more immersive and giving it a distinct identity.

Anomaly follows all the traditions established by The Hunger Games for the currently popular female-protagonized dystopian young adult sci fi genre, no matter how forced, such as writing in the first-person present tense and including the obligatory two love interests, regardless of how believable. This doesn't help Anomaly's quest for identity, either.

Anomaly turns out to be an overtly Christian book, and McGee does a nice job of presenting the Gospel accurately and exploring faith in the face of death. Unfortunately, the Gospel presentation itself feels forced, like McGee has an agenda, and this contrivance saps meaning from Thalli's obviously inevitable conversion.

Contrivance, which turns out to be widespread throughout the book, is Anomaly's biggest problem. Things happen because McGee needs them to happen, perhaps leading the reader to ask things like "Why on earth don't they ever lock Thalli's door?" "Why doesn't anybody seem to care that she has constant access to John?" and "Who the heck is responsible for the cameras around here?" (never mind questions like "Why do they call them `the Ancients' when this is like two generations later and at least one is still alive?" and "Why don't they ever kiss?").

Complicating this criticism, however, is the fact that McGee tries to address nearly all these contrivances in the last few pages. It's a nice try at getting away with it, I guess, but it's pretty unsatisfying, it may make the reader wonder at just how oblivious these characters are, and it really doesn't have the air of competence about it.

There are other issues. McGee's writing is at a lower level than one typically expects from this genre: there are a lot of simple, see-Dick-run sentences, and it doesn't help that Thalli is a master of stating the obvious or that everyone talks to her like she's a little child (which may be necessary for the character but is grating for the reader). The general lack of contractions in speech makes for some stilted dialogue (but these test-tube kids do use them every now and then), and McGee has a tendency to go back and forth between the past and present tenses in an awkward way.

Thalli herself is just too passive to be a compelling protagonist, as by and large, she's acted upon by various other characters, clueless, led here and there by their actions. No, the real protagonist of Anomaly is Berk, who perpetually risks both his life and career to act on behalf of Thalli. But he remains on the sideline as a supporting character, appearing when needed to save the day or advance the plot.

Anomaly is a book I wanted to like, and I take no pleasure in giving it a bad review. But the volume of contrivance and the quality of the writing are deal-breakers.

* * * * *

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Anomaly by Krista McGee is a fascinating sci-fi young adult novel. The publisher's synopsis drew me in, so I was happy to have an opportunity to review this book. Stories like this stretch my imagination with all sorts of "what if" scenarios. How would you share the gospel with someone who had never even heard of God? The plot was intriguing to me and I especially appreciated the bigger message.

This book was truly amazing! I can't believe I waited so long to read it!
First of all, the fact that these people are not allowed to show emotion or ask questions is terrible and sad, for what is life if we can't feel? While some of the people in Thalli's pod have no problem with this, it grows increasingly hard for Thalli to hide the fact that she is curious and feels many emotions all the time.

I loved how Thalli played her emotions through her music! I play the flute, and sometimes the piano, so I understand what it's like to feel the emotions and see the story in a piece of music, and play the music with your own emotions.

While at the scientists pod she finds out that her world is not as it seems, that the scientists lie, she gets to spend more time with her old, loyal, and wonderful friend Berk, and she meets a man named John who teaches her about the Designer, love, and faith.

Anomaly by Krista McGee is beautifully written and at times heartbreaking. I loved going through Thalli and Berk's journey of faith, and finding out truths instead of believing in all of the lies. I couldn't put Anomaly down, I just had to find out what happened with these characters (this book made me bite my lips, it was so nerve wrecking at times). Thalli and Berk's relationship seemed so real, throughout the book I felt their emotions, I cried, I smiled, I hoped. I even caught myself almost praying for the characters while I was reading!

Will Thalli be allowed to live? If she does will she have to live the rest of her life as a lab rat? Will she and Berk be able to see each other? What will happen if they get caught in any schemes?
Anomaly will make you think and wonder about what you would do if you were in a situation similar to this. It is a must read book for Christians, and even people that aren't Christians should enjoy the dystopian elements, and the problems the characters go through!

(I was nervous to read a dystopian book. I know that everyone else seems to like them, but I wasn't sure if I would. Well, as you can see I definitely liked Anomaly and will be ready to read more dystopian books!)

Fans of the Matched Trilogy by Ally Condie and dystopian fiction fans in general wont want to miss ANOMALY by Krista McGee!!! This is definitely dystopian fiction at its best!!! This book exceeded every expectation I had for it. I love it!!! I cannot wait for book 2!!! Seriously, don't miss this one. One of my FAVE reads of 2013!!!

I feel like I may have really enjoyed this book if it hadn't been so religious. However, the religious aspect was too simplistic and really ruined this book for me.

I love religion in that I love discussing it and how it makes people think. I love reading about people debating their faith and coming to terms with it. I love hearing different perspectives. In Anamoly, Thalli has religion introduced to her and decides to just blindly follow it. While a lot of religion is blindly following, it just felt so insincere and indoctrinating to me. I can see her forming her own version of faith, but going straight into believing specifically in God and Jesus and Christianity? I didn't buy it. Religion is very complex and McGee really dumbs it down.

The premise of this book was really interesting; however, we didn't see very much of it. I was really fascinated by how someone might act as a regular human being surrounded by people with no emotions. Instead, we just see Thalli being put through various scenarios, basically alone.

I loved the idea of how Thalli and Berk formed a connection, but I didn't feel it. She obviously has a desire for an emotional connection as shown by Stone but I don't think that this was particularly for Berk. I feel like Thalli could have been interested in anyone who walked her way.

The best chapter was the epilogue. That was an intriguing chapter. But I'm definitely not going to continue this series; I already can tell that the Designer will fix any problems that come.

Oh, and spoiler: she has fifteen minutes and twenty-three seconds to live at the END of the book. Which kind of ruined the premise, too.

If you're extremely Christian and religious, you might enjoy this; however, I had to skim the second half of the book to get through it. I was very disappointed.

What I Liked: This was a unique take on the Sci-Fi/Dystopian genre because the story blends science with spiritual aspects. However, the positive message of a Creator or Designer, didn't feel forced or preachy. The characters are engaging and the plot twists and turns keep the story moving.

What Left Me Wanting More: There were a few times I found myself a little lost but not enough to detract from the story as a whole. :)

Final Verdict: A great start to a new series.

It started pretty well. The main character wishes to question. Had she continued to question, the story might have developed in a thoughtful and interesting way. But that's not how the story continued. Instead, the character inexplicably becomes a true believer in Jesus, long passages are devoted to talking about how God has a plan for everyone, and the plot becomes more and more predictable, superficial, and eventually ridiculous. The dialogue is stilted and the characters are flat. It gets worse in the sequel (hey, I was on a plane and needed something to read and had downloaded both books before I'd started reading).

I finished reading Anomaly yesterday for the first time. I enjoyed it so much. I laughed, cried, got angry, surprised, inspired. Wow! So many surprises and so many twists and turns. It keeps you aware of every detail.

God truly has a purpose for each of us and loves us unconditionally.

This book has truly touched my heart. It is a MUST READ!!

I wish I had read the reviews before I purchased this. Religion is stuck in this book with a sledge hammer. Its like you are reading a normal novel and they decided to throw JESUS in every 100 words or so. Out of place, Out of line, Out of her mind.

Yuck

Krista is one of my favorite writers- as a mom of young adults that have very different temperaments, Krista's books appeal to both. I enjoy the more humorous reads while one of my daughters prefers more psychological thrillers. I can depend on Krista to write a story worth reading with an ethic worth passing down to the next generation and some smart twists to keep the reader from laziness in the read. I appreciate Krista's enriching intent in her writings.

Anomaly by Krista McGee

Number 1# in the Anomaly series.

Thalli has fifteen minutes and twenty-three seconds left to live. The toxic gas that will complete her annihilation is invading her bloodstream. But she is not afraid.

Decades before Thalli's birth, the world ended in a nuclear war. But life went on deep underground, thanks to a handful of scientists known as The Ten. Since then, they have genetically engineered humans to be free from emotions in the hopes that war won't threaten their lives again.

But Thalli was born with the ability to feel emotions and a sense of curiosity she can barely contain. She has survived so far thanks to her ability to hide those differences. But Thalli's secret is discovered when she is overwhelmed by the emotion in an ancient piece of music.

She is quickly scheduled for annihilation, but her childhood friend, Berk, convinces The Ten to postpone her death and study her instead. While in the scientists' Pod, Thalli and Berk form a dangerous alliance, one strictly forbidden by the constant surveillance in the pods.

As her life ticks away, she hears rumors of someone called the Designer--someone even more powerful than The Ten. What's more, the parts of her that have always been an anomaly could in fact be part of a much larger plan. And the parts of her that she has always guarded could be the answer she's been looking for all along.
Thalli must sort out what to believe and who she can trust, before her time runs out...

How do I even start this review. This book was so up and down for me. I was so excited to read this book. Not a lot of christian science fiction has come out that sounds really interesting. I must say the plot sounds like its done time and time again. A whole civilization is now living underground from the apocalypse. I've heard it before, but Krista McGee gave it a really cool twist. Everyone who lives underground has no emotion.

Except for certain people of course. I thought the book was a lengthy where nothing happens in between. I'm pretty sure the setting was supposed to by where Thalli had go through these things time and time again, but it ended up getting kind of boring. I did like the characters, they were different from each other. And they didn't get on my nerves, which is good. Over all this book was excited and I'm glad I read it.

I have received this book for my review from Booksneeze. (Booksneeze.com)

Thalli (Thallium) and Berk (Berkelium) (not actually joking. all of the children in dystopian America are named after elements of the periodic table apparently) are our two main characters. They fall in love in a world where no one else has emotions. Except, ironically enough, Thalli evokes the same amount of emotion from me that a rice cake does.

I literally have no idea what the point of the book was, as it lacked a plot. Twilight had more of a plot than this book. Random things kept popping in that I wasn't expecting and that was really weird. Even the elements the book did have were completely unrealistic (yes, even for a dystopian).

The only thing I felt like I got from this was that science is evil and religion good. Which. What?
The Scientists are ten of the most brilliant men left in the world. They were the only ones to survive. But for a bunch of guys that probably would have won the Nobel Peace Prize if earth hadn't been annihilated, they literally do the dumbest stuff.

This book offends me on a small level. It offends me as a writer, because I have spent twenty years honing my craft into something worth sharing with the world. It offends me because I have studied and written and edited and taken criticism from people wiser than me. And it has made me better, and it has made me stronger. I am offended by this book because it did not appear to have gone through any editing, or re-writing, or perfecting. This book had so many grammatical errors that a single red pen would not have held enough ink to fix them all.

It offended me as a reader. For most of the above reasons. I felt robbed of enjoying a book, which, by the way, had an incredible amount of potential. It was written very lazily. Again, the grammar was second grade level, at best. The plot holes were everywhere and the parts that were actually filled in were done the lazy way. "Oh, you have a challenge? Let me just conveniently hand you the solution without any effort on your part at all."

It offends me as a Christian because, even as an evangelical Christian, I felt uncomfortable with the level of preach-y-ness this book held. I felt like it was being shoved down my throat. And given that I am a Christian, I can only imagine how non-Christians felt about the message.

I don't know if I am allowed negative stars. Am I allowed to give negative stars?

Anomaly has a "Divergence" vibe to it with a bit of the Matrix thrown in for good measure. If you are a fan of dystopian novels, young adult books, or just thrillers in general, this is a not-to-be-missed book. It's something that I'd like to share with the teens in my life.

I received a copy of this book to review. The opinions shared here are 100% mine.

I loved this book!!!! Anomaly offers an entertaining mix of sci/fi and Christianity. It's completely different from anything I've read, very creative and never got boring :D. I can't wait for the next one!

This book had me up until the discussion of marriage. I'm even willing to put aside my feelings for the religion in the book. But this quote:

"Marriage is a picture of his love for the people he created. His commitment to them. Sadly that picture grew distorted over time."

Seriously? Perhaps in a book like this you should make note that there is only white. "But the Scientists love white. The bedcovers, the floors, the walls- everything is white." Apparently that includes the people.

If you can get past the subtle racism and homophobia the author weaves into the book, the writing is good and the plot is quick, but there is too much religion in it for me to enjoy it the way i normally devour books.

Oh well.

Beware this is Christian Fiction.....if you want a book w/ religious content this is the one for you. If I would have known that there would be religious content I would not have picked up this book.