Review ~ The Fearless by Emma Pass

ebook received via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Release Date: April 24th 2014

Publisher: RHCP 

Description:
The Fearless. An army, powered by an incredible new serum that makes each soldier stronger, sharper, faster than their enemies. Intended as a force for good, the serum has a terrible side-effect - anyone who takes it is stripped of all humanity, empathy, love. And as the Fearless sweep through the country, forcing the serum on anyone in their path, society becomes a living nightmare.

Cass remembers the night they passed through her village. Her father was Altered. Her mother died soon after. All Cass has left is her little brother - and when Jory is snatched by the Fearless and taken to their hellish lair, Cass must risk everything to get him back.

My Opinion

After reading ACID (the author's debut) this time last year and loving it, I was excited to start this book. The premise sounded interesting and action-packed so obviously I started reading as soon as this book downloaded to my Kindle.

The Fearless kept me hooked the whole way through. I liked the military side of the book and the regimented lifestyle on the island of Hope. The setting was created well and it felt believable. I also liked that the author showed us how they got to the island and how things developed in the country. She wrote this part as chapters at the start rather than in a flashback or as Cass' thoughts and for me this added greatly to the book as it gave the reader a better understanding of what went on and it included you in the action so you could visualise it clearly.

As well as this, Cass was a great female lead. She was strong, undeterred and she cared greatly for her brother which was shown well. She'd obviously had to grow up quick after losing both parents and being left with a baby brother and it had left a slightly rougher edge to her character as she hadn't had a sheltered upbringing. I also like Myo's character, even if I felt things moved slightly too quickly with him and Cass believed him all too easily.

While The Fearless isn't exactly a new concept--scientists try to create the perfect army and it goes wrong--I did feel parts of it were original and engaging. I liked the secrecy of different groups, the kidnapping (although I'm still not sure of the reason for that) and the overall action and pace of the book. Emma Pass isn't afraid to describe the gory, gritty detail and I like that about her style.

The only thing I didn't like about this book was the ending. I felt it was incredibly rushed and kind of came out of nowhere. It also left me with a few unanswered questions and didn't give me the resolution I would have liked. It appeared as if it was the start of a new book rather than the end to one so I came away feeling slightly disappointed.

However, overall, The Fearless was an interesting read. There was a lot of action, it had a darker side and kept me entertained. I don't think it is as good or strong as ACID but I'll definitely be reading more by this author in the future.