Blog Tour {Review & Giveaway}—I Am Alive by Cameron Jace

Welcome to the I Am Alive blog tour, hosted by Xpresso Book Tours!
We got the pleasure to read and review this YA Dystopia, and you can enter to win an eBook copy!

I Am Alive

by Cameron Jace

Book #1 of I Am Alive series

Publication: May 23rd 2012
Genre: YA Dystopia

Amazon Goodreads

Every girl dies—not every girl really lives.

Sixteen-year-old Decca Tenderstone feels captivated when she meets Leo, who is arrogant, silent, beautiful, and shoots almost every one he meets.

The usual boring girl meets badboy story... hmm... with a twist ...

They live in a dystopian future in Los Angeles where every sixteen-year-old is ranked on a scale from one to ten to determine their future. Outranks, who are considered a danger to society, are forced to attend the Monster Show, a brutal sacrificing ritual that is broadcasted worldwide on live TV, where rebellious teens are labelled Bad Kidz or Monsters and get to fight for their lives in deadly games.

To prove that you're still alive, you have to scream "I Am Alive" every six hours. Lower your voice, and you're dead.

Decca doesn't need Leo's company. She has secrets of her own. While they both can't stand each other, she will find out why she doesn't fit into any rank.

Nothing will stand in her way as she has to make choices concerning love, life, staying alive, growing up, and finding out who she really is.

When I started I Am Alive, I wasn't sure if I was going to like it. The premise came off unoriginal; a dystopian world with teens killing each other in a government-controlled game sounded too familiar. The rules of the world, everyday life, how vicious and spoiled the teens were, and how the parents willing submit to the government and kill their own children were insane, almost unbelievable. At times, the narration was bit disjointed, and the words and terms seemed ... well, a little ghetto.

But I soon realized that was the point. I Am Alive  is set in the west coast, post-apocalyptic America, where life is upside down and contradictory. Death, not life, is rejoiced. The general public are treated like idiots, and they eat it up, almost relish in it. Movies and general entertainment are banned, yet advertising and technology advancement (through the games) are the ultimate goal and country's income. Education and history is purposely blackened and changed; Twitter is known as Zwitter, YouTube is ZooTube, Disney is Dizny, Rambo is Zambo, Napoleon is Zapoleon, dollar zollar, Google Zoogle, American Americaz. Like I said, a little ghetto. The names are cheesy and seem to lack creativity, but it made sense in the story because creativity and individualism are seen as rebellious, and the last generation before "The Great Disease" is known as as Generation Z.

The ridiculous of it all worked in the story's context. I Am Alive  both embraced and played on pop culture, and I found myself really enjoying it. Because nothing is truly, entirely original anymore. Society can tweak a name, a story premise, technology, but it was influenced by something. Innovation has it ups and its downs; like the calculator replacing a times table—is it really advancement when it makes one dumber? And constant exposure can desensitize, but ignorance is not always bliss. Cameron Jace created a story that fully encompassed such themes and topics.

I Am Alive  was flawed—there were inconsistencies and grammatical errors along with a writing style you had to get used to—but it was a surprising and entertaining read. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series. Recommended for young teens who are fans of fast, easy dystopia novels. Adults who enjoy pop culture and the irony of society's progression might enjoy it as well.

Thanks to Cameron Jace and Xpresso Book Tours
for the ebook copy.

Cameron Jace

Website | Twitter| Facebook | Goodreads

Wonderlander, Neverlander, Unicorn-chaser, enchanter, musician, survived a coma, & totally awesome. Sometimes I tell stories. Always luv the little monsters.

I write young adult paranormal romance, urban fantasy, and science fiction mostly. The Grimm Diaries series is a seven book saga that deals with retellings of fairy tales from a young adult POV – it connects most of the fairy tales together and claims to be the truth about fairy tales.

I live in San Fransisco and seriously think circles are way cooler than triangles.

Terms & Conditions:

♥ By entering the giveaway, you are confirming you are at least 13 years old.
♥ One winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter to receive an eBook copy of I Am Alive by Cameron Jace. Winner's choice of mobi, epub, or PDF format.
♥ Winner will be contacted via email within 48 hours after the giveaway ends at 11:59pm EST March 17th.
♥ Winner has 48 hours to reply before a different winner will be chosen.
♥ Prize will be sent out the week of March 25th.

Note: You do not need to own an eReader device to enjoy Kindle or Nook books. Download free Kindle apps here and
Nook apps here to start reading ebooks on all your devices: major smartphones, tablets, and computer.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I Am Alive Tour Schedule