Review: Take me Tomorrow – by Shannon A. Thompson

Synopsis: Two years after the massacre, the State enforces stricter rules and harsher punishments on anyone rumoured to support tomo – the clairvoyant drug that caused a regional uprising. But sixteen-year-old Sophia Gray has other problems. Between her father’s illegal forgery and her friend’s troubling history, the last thing Sophia needs is an unexpected encounter with a boy. He’s wild, determined, and one step ahead of her. But when his involvement with tomo threatens her friends and family, Sophia has to make a decision: fight for a future she cannot see or sacrifice her loved ones to the world of tomorrow.

Title: Take me Tomorrow
Author: Shannon A Thompson
Publisher: Aec Stellar Publishing, Inc.
Pages: 252
ISBN: 9781940820200

I was provided a review copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Rating:

I’m always hesitant to read a new author in the dystopian / YA genre; I have a few serious issues with the books in general, including:

• The female protagonist is often a whiney, self-sacrificing twit that falls in love within the first chapter.
• There is always a love triangle.

Thankfully, Take me Tomorrow is not – I repeat – not one of those books. I can’t say how refreshing it was to have a protagonist that felt real. Knife-throwing abilities aside, Sophia is like the rest of us; she’s stubborn, flawed, and simply cannot control her curly hair (I feel your pain!).

The story was also refreshingly original, focusing on a totalitarian society rather than the end-of-the-world type novels we’ve been bombarded with in the past. The plot is intriguing and fast-paced, with enough suspense to keep you on the edge of your seat throughout.

I did had two small issues with this book, however. Firstly, I would have liked a bit more background about what happened ‘before’ – what was the Phelps massacre? Why is Texas no longer known as ‘Texas’? Why did they invent tomo in the first place? A bit more history would have taken the story to the next level.

I also had a small theoretical issue with the drug itself; if both you and your enemy are taking a clairvoyant drug, surely the effects would be just as unhelpful as if you hadn’t taken it – you both know what the other will do? Even if you changed your mind at the last minute as a surprise tactic – surely they’d know that too?

All in all, Take me Tomorrow is a great read and something I would definitely recommend to fans of the genre. I’m looking forward to seeing more of Thompson’s work in the future and really hope there’s a sequel – I need to find out what happens next!