Blackout (Darkness Trilogy, #1) by Madeleine Henry

Blackout almost reminded me of the hunger games a little bit, except the point of the competition was to find true love, and in turn give your family electricity.

In 2015, Earth was hit with a solar flare that knocked out all of the electricity on the planet. The United States was able to bring enough scientists together to get some electricity back, but they could not power the whole country, only a part of it. This created the Dark Zone.

Families were left here to fend for themselves in the darkness with no power.

When Star and Phoenix’s families hear about a trade-off of sending a child to America in exchange for power, they both agree to go. They don’t know what they are in for on the other side, but they want the best for their families.

Little do they know, they are in the fight for their lives. Are they only battling for power? Or is there much more at stake?

The characters were generally likable and the writing was done really well. It was a very intriguing story, which made it hard to put down. It seemed as though the reader is always learning something new.

Phoenix was a bit too whiney for me. Every time something happened involving star, I imagined him throwing a hissy fit like a little child. It seemed like he was too caught up in his emotions and it was crippling his chances of survival.

Even though Star was a big part of the story, she didn’t make as many appearances and didn’t really seem relevant in them. She mostly lived in the story through Phoenix’s thoughts.

Overall, I enjoy the idea of the story. I liked the supporting characters more than I liked Phoenix. I can’t wait to see what happens next. It left off on such a cliffhanger!

This looks to be a really promising book series.

4/5 Stars

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