Larkstorm by Dawn Rae Miller
Release Date: December 6, 2011
Publisher: Self-published
Source: ARC from author
Rating:  
Buy It: Amazon | Smashwords

In the years following the destructive Long Winter, when half the world’s population perished, the State remains locked in battle against the Sensitives: humans born with extra abilities.

As one of the last descendants of the State’s Founders, seventeen-year-old Lark Greene knows her place: study hard and be a model citizen so she can follow in her family’s footsteps. Her life’s been set since birth, and she’s looking forward to graduating and settling down with Beck, the boy she’s loved longer than she can remember.

However, after Beck is accused of being Sensitive and organizing an attack against Lark, he disappears. Heartbroken and convinced the State made a mistake, Lark sets out to find him and clear his name.

But what she discovers is more dangerous and frightening than Sensitives: She must kill the boy she loves, unless he kills her first. – Goodreads

Review:
On first glance of the summary, I expected Larkstorm to be like the normal dystopian fare that is so popular nowadays. I was looking forward to seeing how Dawn Rae Miller would make her storyline fresh and unique, but I was still pleasantly surprised by the different approach she took with her book. Many dystopian elements are present in the story, but magic, the factions that broke apart because of it, and an unbreakable friendship are very much the central focus here.

After the Long Winter, the State has fought against the Sensitives, aka those with special powers. But not all is as it seems! I really liked the way Miller depicted the two groups at the forefront. On the surface they were initially given the usual “good” and “evil” characterizations, but as Miller peeled back the layers of her story, it was revealed that all of their motivations and actions weren’t so clear cut. Lark was a very relatable main character and I appreciated the internal conflict that Miller had her go through in regards to Beck, her family, and her other friends. I was just as equally unsure of who to place my trust in and that made for an engaging read!

Although it was made clear that Beck and Lark have a strong connection, and that they would go to many lengths to protect each other, I do wish there had been a deeper development between the two. The circumstances of their situation made sense of the distance they had to keep, but I felt that Beck was mostly on the outside and that I didn’t get to know his character as much as I would have liked. Still, in the moments the two did share, I did enjoy their chemistry. I found myself mentally willing them to break the rules just a little more for my sake and, while it didn’t quite happen in this installment, I hold hope that Miller will push them a further in the next one.

Larkstorm will be released on December 6 and it will be available on e-book via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and, I’m sure, other retailers. I will update this post when I have the links. If you’re looking for a different direction in your dystopian reads, definitely give this a go!