Naomi Foyle

[Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.]

In a dystopian future that has led to a culture who has turned back to a simpler life that is reverent to nature, Astra lives the life of a happy little girl. She has a bright future ahead of her, but all of that changes when one of her Shelter mothers shares a secret with her that causes her to rethink everything she knows. And when a young orphan girl comes to stay with them, Astra's life changes again, and so do the lives of everyone around her.

I wanted to love this book, and when I read the description, I thought I would. It's a dystopian story with some fantasy elements and everything about it screamed "THIS IS UP YOUR ALLEY!" And while the core of the story might be, there are some really, really problematic elements of this story that got in the way of what could be an otherwise great book. First, though the main character here is nearing adolescence, this is NOT a young adult book. There is a heavy focus on sex and sexuality, including between the children, and the focus on it really detracted from what the book could have been. There were several times I had to flip ahead and also considered stopping reading entirely at one point. It didn't advance the story, either, which made it seem even more gratuitous. As a result, I can't recommend this one...… (mer)

Plot:
Sydney used to be an escort in Canada and now hopes to make the transition to modeling in Seoul. Her boyfriend Johnny is not a particularly nice guy, but his work for Korean-American scientist Kim Min Da may provide an opportunity for Sydney. The theme park Min Da is putting together certainly already proved a chance for Mee Hee who was smuggled there from North Korea. As Sydney gets more and more frustrated with Johnny's possessiveness, she meets Damien, a young Brit who decided to risk it all for a new start in South Korea - because he really believes the rumors that there is a asteroid heading towards Earth, set to destroy large portions of it. And South Korea has better chances to survive the hit. As their lives intersect, nothing will stay the same.

Seoul Survivors is a gripping and quick read that I could barely put down. But even as I read it, basically while biting my nails, there were several things about it that did make me uncomfortable as well.

Read more on my blog: http://kalafudra.com/2017/07/04/seoul-survivors-naomi-foyle/… (mer)