Discussion Post: Where Are They Now?

You’ve just turned the last page of a series. It’s finished. Complete. Years of your life waiting for this conclusion has just spanned out in the space of approximately 300 pages. Or maybe it was that standalone where you journeyed with the characters for just one book and you know there will be no sequel.

The author considers it finished. But do you? Are you satisfied with how it ended? Did your ship become canon? Or did it sink? And do you wonder where are they now?

Do you as a reader accept the author’s conclusion? Obviously we all do because it was the author’s story but you can’t deny that those characters were nurtured and grew to have their own personalities and paths in our minds. You may have had pre-conceived notions of how you wanted the series to end or where you wanted the characters to end up.

Do you then create your own epilogue? Have you considered where your cherished characters are 5 years from now, 10?

[Beware possible spoilers as I now list examples/ships – I name the book and the ending/spoiler I have put in white text, so highlight if you want to see or have read it]

Allegiant – ending to Divergent by Veronica Roth

That Allegiant ending! Where is Four now, not just 2.5 years after the Allegiant ending, but 5 years on. What relationships have formed since then?

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

Where are Eleanor and Park? How are they faring? Do they eventually meet again?

Clockwork Princess – ending to The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare

Then there’s that Clockwork Princess epilogue. Where are the characters in 2014 if there was a 2014 for them?

As young-adult novels, most of these characters range from the age of 15-19.  At such a young age most of them have only experienced 1 or 2 relationships by the series end. We all know that in real-life people can go through many relationships throughout their life. The person we are with at 16 is not always the same person we are with a year later, let alone 20 years on.

On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta

Are Taylor Markham and Jonah Griggs still together? Do they still do the territory wars for fun?

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

How is Hazel Grace doing? Is she just hanging on with her drug that just sustains her as she ponders her days with Gus?

Into the Still Blue – ending to Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

Do Aria and Perry have children now that they’ve reached the still blue?

Between the Lives by Jessica Shirvington – published as One Past Midnight in the US

Do Sabine and Ethan share the same connection in her other life?

Many books offer open endings and leaves room for thought. Do you just let bygones be bygones, accept that it’s the end because it’s just a story, or in your mind, do you have your own version of where are they now?

Top Ten Tuesday #5

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where, each week, a Top Ten list is posted based on a particular topic.

This week's: Top Ten Characters Who Stole My Heart (Book Boyfriend Style)

Clicking on the book cover will take you to the Goodreads page for the series/book.

Aiden St. Delphi from the Covenant series by Jennifer L. Armentrout

With his dark hair, quicksilver eyes and absolute belief in Alexandria Andros, this man stole my heart completely. He was never threatened by Alex's power, he never looked  down on her. Aiden's absolute respect and eventual willingness to step back and let Alex wield her power as the Apollyon and do her thing made me really love him. Not to mention he's hella sexy and sweet.

Chaol Westfall from the Throne of Glass series by Sarah J. Maas

Jesus Christ do I even need to explain myself? Just... Go read the books. *Flails*

Darkling from the Grisha trilogy by Leigh Bardugo

Yes I'm probably a masochist for loving him. Call me twisted but there's something about his seductiveness and charm that totally got me. I would willingly go into his Shadow Fold *cackles* But seriously, there's so much enigma surrounding him, I have a feeling that if the layers get peeled back in Ruin and Rising, a damaged man will appear and that's going to draw me to him even more.

Ash from The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa

I seem to have a thing for the dark ones don't I? I love looking beneath the cool facade to see the turmoil beneath, Their dark pasts and secrets make them all the more intriguing, and this was especially the case with Ash. I love who he is underneath the title of Prince of the Winter Court.

Warner from the Shatter Me trilogy by Tahereh Mafi

I've been #TeamWarner since Shatter Me! People said I was daft but then Unravel Me happened and I was like SEE? Again one of the dark, damaged ones :o

UNRAVEL ME CHAPTER 62

IGNITE ME CHAPTER 55

THAT IS ALL.

Phoenix from The Violet Eden Chapters by Jessica Shirvington

Don't get me wrong I love Linc, but that's a given. Phoenix was the dark, mysterious one (woah hey big surprise there that this boy stole my heart) that you either loved or hated. He broke everyone's trust at one point but I still believed in him until the end. I had faith in this boy, and oh the heartache he put me through. Much feels.

Adam Wilde from If I Stay/Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Adam seemed like the type of guy parents warned their daughters against - lead singer of a rising rock band, the seemingly stereotypical playboy. I loved how Forman changed that completely about him. Adam's completely faith and love for Mia stunned me. He's not perfect but he loved Mia exactly the way she was, he didn't ever want her to be anything different to the classical cellist she was. He loved her in every form because he loved her for WHO she was, not what she was. And then reading his story in Where She Went? Seeing the torment from his perspective? No words.

Lucas Maxfield from Easy (Contours of the Heart) by Tammara Webber

A guy in a new adult book who didn't be-little women. Who didn't have a destructive relationship with the MC or hurt them. Lucas never saw Jacqueline as someone inferior who needed to be constantly shielded. He never went caveman on her. He saw her strength, he empowered her. These are the kind of men girls need to be reading about. An artist, and very smart, Lucas was the whole package (yes he's extremely sexy too).

Fitzwilliam Darcy from Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

I know how everybody says his dour and unpleasant nature in the beginning was not appealing at all. But as Mr. Darcy fumbled his way through society and met his match in wit and intellect, who could not acknowledge that it was amusing to watch him change? As he realised the folly of his initial judgements and prejudices, his character grew and I loved that about him.

Dimitri Belikov from the Vampire Academy series by Richelle Mead

Ohmygoodness. Again, a guy that doesn't see women as inferior. He saw Rose's potential, saw her for who she truly was. Dimitri admired her fighting finesse and wasn't afraid to admit that she was better than him, heck he was proud of her. His belief in her always took my breath away. Just everything about this man. CAN THEY PLEASE JUST GET MARRIED ALREADY?

Review: The Winner's Curse (The Winner's Trilogy #1) by Marie Rutkoski

Firstly, thanks to Bloomsbury Australia for this review copy <3

Date Read: April 17 - 20 2014
Release Date: April 10th 2014
Publisher: Bloomsbury Australia
Source: Review copy via publisher
Genre: Fantasy
My rating: 

Synopsis:
"Kestrel lives the lavish lifestyle of a Valorian General’s only daughter, and such riches come at a cost for Valoria’s captives – and for her. As the Herrani face death or slavery, Kestrel’s destiny is shaped by her father. He gives her two choices: join his army or get married. Desperate to realise her own future and knowing that it will invite scandal, she pays a small fortune for a handsome Herrani blacksmith at a slave auction. Arin not only plays Kestrel’s power games, he understands what she needs and soon she is torn between loyalty to her people and her feelings for him. But Arin is not all he seems and Kestrel will learn that the price she paid for him is much higher than she ever could have imagined.

The first novel in a stunning new trilogy, The Winner’s Curse is a story of romance, rumours and rebellion, where dirty secrets and careless alliances can be deadly – and everything is at stake."

---

“She shouldn’t have been tempted.”

Was it the sheer amount of stellar reviews that set my expectations sky-rocketing? Or perhaps that gorgeous cover – don’t judge me, you do it too – or maybe that intriguing blurb and enigmatic title? It was possibly an amalgamation of all these factors that made me want to love this book. I wanted to love this book so much. I wanted to adore it and scream it to the world like everybody else I know who has read and loved this. Instead, I felt a great sense of “meh” after the last page… And whilst reading too…

Kestrel is the daughter of the famous General Tarjan, they are a race known as the Valorians who have taken over the Herran peninsula and its people. The Valorians are a growing empire and Kestrel’s father is a famed soldier who has seized many pieces of land for the empire. Valorian law gives women the choice to either marry by the time they’re 20, or enlist in the military but Kestrel desires neither of these. Her eccentric ways induce in her a need for freedom. Her eccentric ways also result in her impulsively buying an extremely overpriced slave, and hence she is labelled as having “the winner’s curse”.

“You are the daughter of the most fabled general in Valorian history.”

Kestrel is a fantastic female protagonist. I found no flaws with her character and she was the highlight of the book. A strategist at heart, she looks at things pragmatically and has the ability to see through lies – not by magic, but with her sharp mind to observe and perceive nuances in people’s actions. I loved her inner turmoil to always try to do what’s right for the people she cares about. She also had a strong sense of justice which I admired and complemented her take on honour. A strong and resilient character, her patience and determination were something I wish I had.

“I see things quite clearly.”

As secondary characters go, I found the ensemble to be unsurprising. The best friend who only seemingly cares about fashion, the father with expectations, the male that is the ideal type for marriage but whose feelings Kestrel seems to be oblivious to. They were all… nice… but that was about it. I found nothing spectacularly different about their personalities that set them apart from other stories of this calibre.

I had a huge problem with Arin. Boy has problems. Major problems. He was so shrouded, and not in a good way. Whereas Kestrel’s emotions were practically bared, I only seemed to glimpse the surface of Arin. And he kept changing! Surly one moment and so sweet the next, his expressions could have meant anything but their meaning was never implied properly. I mean, was that the point in keeping his feelings a mystery because I couldn’t read him at all and I just wanted to shake him. There just wasn’t enough: enough of his facial expressions to gauge anything, enough of actions at all to know his intentions. I really needed more from him to be a real protagonist.

That being said the romance was a whole load of meh. What with Kestrel’s strategizing, logical mind and Arin’s apparent impassiveness I was trying to see how it was possible the romance even blossomed. Where was the passion, the intimacy… the bond?! Can’t for the life of me see what attracted Kestel to Arin, it seems she was just mystified by him and liked that he was the only one that was blatantly honest with her… when he felt like talking.

“People’s feelings were hard to know for certain.”

The Winner’s Curse really would have been better written from first person POV. I felt that it practically was because it seemed we only ever got Kestrel’s thoughts and emotions. Arin was a hell lot of tell and not enough show. But I guess it was necessary to show Arin’s secret. Which leads me on to the next point, the plot itself was my biggest disappointment. Maybe being written in first POV and keeping Arin’s secret, a well… secret… and revealing it to the reader through Kestrel’s observations would have made the plot suspenseful. I was sitting there waiting for something ground-breaking to happen. I was waiting to be shocked, stunned and on the edge of my seat in suspense. I wanted my heart beat to increase and climb and plummet but instead it was a steady 80bpm. I really did like that ending though!

Rutkoski is a really good writer. But her world lacked the detail I craved in a fantasy novel. There is no denying she writes really well, evident in the way she makes Kestrel’s strategizing so relatable. Her style is sophisticated and definitely one of the better YA authors out there with her dialogue and grasp on language/syntax.

Obviously, this wasn’t for me but from the amount of amazing reviews it’s highly likely most other people will like it. I was one of the few black sheep in this situation.

“Choose.”

Review: The Bone Season (The Bone Season #1) by Samantha Shannon

Firstly, thanks to Bloomsbury Australia for this review copy <3

Date Read: April 8 - 11 2014
Release Date: August 20th 2013
Publisher: Bloomsbury Australia
Source: Review copy via publisher
Genre: Fantasy/Sci-fi/Dystopia/Paranormal
My rating: 

Synopsis:

"The year is 2059. Nineteen-year-old Paige Mahoney is working in the criminal underworld of Scion London, based at Seven Dials, employed by a man named Jaxon Hall. Her job: to scout for information by breaking into people’s minds. For Paige is a dreamwalker, a clairvoyant and, in the world of Scion, she commits treason simply by breathing.

It is raining the day her life changes for ever. Attacked, drugged and kidnapped, Paige is transported to Oxford – a city kept secret for two hundred years, controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. Paige is assigned to Warden, a Rephaite with mysterious motives. He is her master. Her trainer. Her natural enemy. But if Paige wants to regain her freedom she must allow herself to be nurtured in this prison where she is meant to die.

The Bone Season introduces a compelling heroine and also introduces an extraordinary young writer, with huge ambition and a teeming imagination. Samantha Shannon has created a bold new reality in this riveting debut."

---

I have a story about reading this story…

I really should have read The Bone Season last year prior to its release. Sadly, uni and work and this horrible thing called real-life got in my way and instead of reading it before Samantha Shannon visited Australia, I kept pushing it back… And back… To the point where I was scared to read it because I really like Samantha and omg what if I didn’t like it? Also, the book’s size was pretty intimidating. However, I came to the resolution about a fortnight ago that I would have a To-Be-Read Jar for all my books, AND a To-Be-Read Box for my ARCs/review copies. The Bone Season was the first pick of this new thing I’m trying out. And so it began…

“I like to imagine there were more of us in the beginning.”

Shannon’s England is unlike any I’ve read before. It’s the year 2059 and London is known as Scion, a place where those with the ability to communicate with spirits and the dead are killed for their abilities. Clairvoyants, or voyants as they’re colloquially referred, inhabit the SciLo (Scion London) underground, a world of organised voyant crime complete with gangs and sectors for each.

Our protagonist Paige Mahoney is the second-in-command to Jaxon Hall, leader of one of the most notorious gangs, the Seven Seals. As a Dreamwalker, she walks the dreamscapes (or minds) of people to gather information. I loved Paige’s character. She was extremely strong and independent and had a “don’t-take-shit” attitude, hardened by her life in the underground. Paige was so relatable and I completely understood her inability to trust. I loved how she thrived on danger, always living on the edge and craving freedom. Despite everything she’d been through and is put through in the book, I am so grateful to Shannon for writing a character that I did not pity, but rather, admired. These are the kinds of female protagonists books need.

“He was going to see why Jax had chosen me: because against all odds, I had survived.”

Shannon introduces a whole ensemble of characters throughout the book, from the Seven Seals to those that Paige meets on her journey to discovering Scion’s darkest secrets. There were probably nearly twenty secondary characters introduced and I’d be hard-pressed to remember them all in a normal book, yet Shannon managed to make them all so unique and memorable. Each character had their own purpose and motives in the novel. Even though many were just first glimpses I could tell that each had been intricately layered, each with their own stories to tell. I was so intrigued by everyone, but especially Warden, Nashira, Zeke and David… I’m really, REALLY intrigued by Warden.

“The White Binder, the Red Vision, the Black Diamond, the Pale Dreamer, the Martyred Muse, the Chained Fury and the Silent Bell.”

Anybody who knows me knows I’m a hopeless romantic and sucker for a good love story. The Bone Season had hardly any romance and you know what? I was perfectly fine with that because I was so invested in the world building and Paige’s journey. That being said, the little romance there was – literally one chapter and five pages maximum – was filled with longing, yearning, pain, desire, tension… GAH the feels. Shannon managed to accomplish in the space of those fifteen pages, what other books took a whole 300 pages to achieve – she made me cry.

“I wished I could hear voices. I wished I could hear spirits, so I could listen to them, and not to this. I had to focus on not crying.”

Okay so plot/storyline? Um… How do I put this… Yeah there’s no other way: absolute mind fuck. Excuse the French. Shannon’s mind must be like a Rephaite’s because the world she came up with and built? Indescribable. When I first opened the book and got to the page on The Seven Orders of Clairvoyance (note the story hasn’t started), my face was legit just like “WTF?” I’m going to attempt to describe this spectacular world. Shannon has put so much thought into the universe of The Bone Season it’s sort of scary. It’s one part history, three parts magical/paranormal, two parts fantasy and one part mythology. Add in a dash of action and sci-fi and you can maybe imagine what The Bone Season is like. Seriously spectacular. To think that voyants captured were killed? HA. I had another thing coming for me. Scion has dark secrets. Otherworldy dark secrets that make clairvoyance look like child’s play. The aether/dreamscape isn’t merely a place for spirits to dwell, it’s the connection to the world and vice versa. It’s a fantastical place full of possibilities and The Bone Season is only the beginning.

“The aether exists alongside meatspace – around us, not outside of us. This is something more.”

Can we just fast-forward to October so I can possess The Mime Order? Shannon gave me closure then took it away with a cliff hanger. Derp. Although not perfect, The Bone Season is an amazing first in what is going to be a mesmerising heptalogy.

“I cannot tell you that. That is trust Paige. Not knowing whether to trust at all.”

And some fan art I created for The Bone Season

Top Ten Tuesday #4

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created and hosted by The Broke and the Bookish where, each week, a Top Ten list is posted based on a particular topic.

This week's: Top Ten Most Unique Books I've Read

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi

Mafi's writing style is so unique I loved being trapped in Juliette's head and reading her seemingly crazy thought processes

Between the Lives by Jessica Shirvington

Shirvington always manages to take a genre and put her own original twist to it. I've never read a sci-fi like Between the Lives - I didn't even realise it was a sci-fi until I was actually reading it properly. Very psychological.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Green's witty and sophisticated writing style that turned a serious issue into at times hilarious banter, made this heart-breaking story one that has changed me forever.

Angelfall by Susan Ee

Post-apocalyptic cross angels! And the angels are the bad guys? Yes yes yes! Such a good take on angels.

Shadow & Bone by Leigh Bardugo

This is one of my favourite fantasy series of all time. Bardugo's Ravka is loosely-based on Russia and it's a wonderful world of magic and deceit.

Drowning Instinct by Isla J. Bick

Jesus Christ this book. The feels. How wrong is a student-teacher relationship? Wrong right? Or is it? This book made be question EVERYTHING. There is no white or black. All the issues explored in Drowning Instinct were grey space.

Easy by Tammara Webber

An amazing take on rape and the repercussions of not reporting abuse. Very well written and eeeeep Landon <3

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Oh the structure of this was stunning - Mia's trapped in a sort of limbo after a car accident and she needs to decide where she should stay or die. As her loved ones visit her hospital bed she tells us her story with each of them and we see the love and indecision she's faced with.

Something Like Normal by Trish Doller

Contemporary/NA books are very rarely written from the perspective of males. Doller takes it a step further and writes from a US soldier who's served in the Middle East and is suffering from PTSD while on his break back in the US.

The Collector by Victoria Scott

From the point of view of a bad boy who works for the big guy downstairs. I loved Dante's bad boy attitude and his hilarious banter.

Blog Tour: Disruption by Jessica Shirvington

I haven't been part of a blog tour in so looooong. It feels so good to be doing these again, especially for one of my favourite authors ever!

Disruption is Jessica Shirvington's latest book, a thriller in a two part series! I've already read the book and found it fantastic.

Thanks to HarperCollins Australia for organising the blog tour, clicky the blog tour banner above or on my sidebar to see the tour schedule on Jess's website. Also, thanks to Amanda and the team from HarperCollins for the awesome Disruption launch event at Dymocks George St Sydney last Wednesday! It was great to see Jess again and hear her talk about her books and sign copies of Disruption (:

For my stop today I've got my review of the book and then an excerpt (: I hope you all enjoy.

Synopsis:

"What if a microchip could identify your perfect match?
What if it could be used against you and the ones you love?

Eight years ago, Mercer Corporation’s M-Bands became mandatory. An evolution of the smartphone, the bracelets promised an easier life. Instead, they have come to control it.

Two years ago, Maggie Stevens watched helplessly as one of the people she loves most was taken from her, shattering her world as she knew it.

Now, Maggie is ready. And Quentin Mercer – heir to the M-Corp empire – has become key to Maggie’s plan. But as the pieces of her dangerous design fall into place, could Quentin’s involvement destroy everything she’s fought for?

In a world full of broken promises, the ones Maggie must keep could be the most heartbreaking."

---

My Review

Date Read: March 19 - 24 2014
Release Date: April 1st 2014
Publisher: HarperCollins Australia
Source: Review copy via publisher
Genre: Suspense/thriller
My rating: ♕ ♕ ♕ ♕ (4.5)

“But people should have the right to become whatever they’re going to be before they are judged and sentenced.”

Everybody who knows me knows I’m a massive Jessica Shirvington fan and that I love all her books. Thus there is always this fear that when I read a favourite author’s new book, I won’t like it. I am pleased to say Shirvington has stunned me once again. Shirvington’s latest is different to all her previous books with her genre and story, and yet the same because Disruption, like TVEC and Between the Lives, leaves the reader with lasting messages.

Set in a future not so distant from our own, technology has taken a step further in controlling the people of the world. The Mercer Corporation, an American monopoly, has created something called the M-Band; it reads a person’s vitals and pheromones and gives them the ability to tell how compatible they are with someone else. It can tell someone who their “true match” is but it can also rate someone negatively – someone who is detrimental to society. Apparently. This is what protagonist Maggie’s father was rated two years – a neg. Two years ago, Maggie’s world was shattered and since then she has sworn she would get her father back.

“It had only taken nine years for the world to change completely… You’d have thought we’d fight harder and stronger.”

Margaret (Maggie) Stevens is a manipulative, blunt, sly and conniving bitch. She is the villain you hate in every other book. She is the protagonist I immediately pitied in Disruption. I STILL don’t know how I feel about Maggie even after having finished the book. There is no denying she is an extremely strong and independent young-woman – and that’s something I definitely love about Shirvington’s books, she doesn’t ever write a useless damsel-in-distress – but Maggie was also callous and despite being in her head her actions were so inexcusable! She definitely grew as the novel moved on, but not to the point where it was unbelievable (points again to Shirvington). Oh there is a heaping of regret towards the end, but I like that before everything went to shit she stood by her choices and decisions. Her resilience was admirable. Her actions were not. So many times I wanted to shake her and go “QURRLLLL WHAT YOU DOING. WHERE IS YOUR REMORSE YO? ARE YOU EVEN HUMAN?” Obviously I sort of hate her and at the same time her choices were understandable.

“I’d see this through to the end… This promise above all others, I will gladly keep.”

Being the type to work alone, there aren’t many secondary characters to support Maggie in her endeavours. There’s Gus the guy she’s blackmailing, but more important is Quentin Mercer. He’s they key to her plan. Oh did I mention she screws him over? In typical YA fashion he’s not aware of much, but open his eyes and he becomes the book’s moral compass. He is the antithesis to Maggie. Warm where Maggie is cold. Full of emotions where Maggie hides all her feelings. I really liked how this polarisation really accentuated their personalities. Seriously, how does Shirvington manage to do all this awesome? I don’t even know.

“… his light to my dark. His truth to my lies. His sacrifices to my selfishness.”

At the heart of the plot, this is a book about morals and ethics – about the changing nature of the world and how technological forces are taking over our lives and their dire consequences. Strip back the layers and it’s about betrayal and lies, right and wrong… Or rather grey. So, so much grey. So many questions. Is it right to trust the M-Band? Are Maggie’s actions right? Are they wrong? Emotion or reason? So many possible answers. And, I as the reader, was left to ponder all these after the last page. Also, that bombshell. Absolutely fantastic. More questions! AND THEN THAT CLIFFHANGER ENDING. I didn’t even know what hit me.

“For the first time in my life, I’m right where I’m supposed to be”

All in all, Disruption is another masterpiece. I’m inventing a new term. It’s called Jessica-Shirvington-feels. I was left with so many FEELS at the end of this, and I realise this happens in every single one of her books. They possess a quality and flavour that is very distinct to her work. Hence, Jessica-Shirvington-feels. Be prepared for them. And be prepared to question everything you thought was right and wrong when you finish. Now, I implore you, go get your hands on the bling *stares at shiny gold cover*.

“Never forget. I know that you know.”

---

Excerpt

For you, my dear readers, I have an excerpt from the book.

From page 129:

‘Oh shit, Maggie,’ came Gus’s voice.
 

‘What?’ I asked, now alert.
 

‘Get out of there. It’s a cleaning day.’ 


I felt the blood drain from my face. ‘A cleaning day,’ I repeated, my voice dropping to a whisper. Quentin, as if sensing the problem, turned to me. 

‘At Junction 18. You’re too close. Haul ass,’ Gus insisted. He almost sounded worried about me, but I knew better. I had tech on me that, in the right hands, could be traced back to him. He was in danger too. 

I didn’t respond. Silence surrounded me, but inside my mind was screaming out orders to do something. Quentin was watching me intently, wondering what the hell was happening. I stared back at him briefly, wondering the same thing. 

‘Damn it, Maggie. I can hear your mind thinking something very, very bad,’ Gus said. 

‘How long left on the elevator?’ I asked.
 

‘Seventeen minutes. You don’t have time!’
 

‘We’ll be back in time.’ And then I hung up the phone as Quentin stepped closer. 

‘What’s a cleaning day?’ Quentin asked. 

I huffed, angry that he could be so naive. ‘Where do you think they all go, Quentin? The negs?’ 

He wet his lips, feeling my anger. ‘Rehabilitation farms,’ he answered, trying to stand tall, but already wavering. 

I started walking back the way we’d come, careful to make sure everything was as we found it.
‘And how many farms have you visited?’ I hissed as we exited the lab and returned to the tunnels.
‘A few. Three, maybe four. There is one in every state.’ 

I couldn’t stop the bitter laugh that bubbled out. ‘Gus was right. You really have no idea. Do you honestly think all the negs go to rehab?’ Before he could answer, I walked on, in the opposite direction to the one that led us back to the elevator and out of here. ‘Let me ask you this, Quentin Mercer.’ His name fell harshly from my lips. ‘How many negs do you know who have been reintroduced to society?’ 

Keeping pace, he answered, ‘We’re not supposed to know them. They’re given new identities and places to live so that they can start fresh. That’s how we protect them, Maggie,’ he said my name with the same vehemence that I’d just delivered to him. 

Moving faster now, increasing to a run, I could feel myself beginning to shake with fury. 

‘Where are we going?’ he snapped. 

Not slowing, I looked over my shoulder at him. ‘You’ll never believe it until you see it.’ 

‘What else is down here?’ 

I slowed when I saw the opening that signalled we were at Junction 18 and blew out a breath before meeting his eyes, keeping my voice low. ‘Down here is where M-Corp plays God.’

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I hope you guys enjoyed that!

Add DISRUPTION to Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19032994-disruption?from_search=true

Buy DISRUPTION from Booktopia: http://www.booktopia.com.au/disruption-jessica-shirvington/prod9780732296285.html

Buy DISRUPTION from Bookworld: http://www.bookworld.com.au/book/disruption/46422266/

Buy DISRUPTION e-book from Amazon Australia: http://www.amazon.com.au/Disruption-Jessica-Shirvington-ebook/dp/B00H1GC4BY/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1396254615&sr=1-1&keywords=Disruption