First, allow this reader to preface with, I really hate cliffhanger books. However, "The Feral Sentence" by G. C. Julien was not only an enjoyable and worthy read, but the author stated straight out that the young adult novella would have a cliffhanger at the end of the first section (and likely one or all of the next three sections) - so this reader was warned. And this reader appreciated the writer's warning as it gave her the option to simply not read the tale, or be prepared for the cliffhanger ending. This reader chose the warning and read Julien's novella, the first part of a planned four-part novel... and was extremely pleased with what she read. It was obvious Julien edited her tale simply because any flaws that might have been found in spelling, grammar and punctuation, all but vanished from this reader's eyes as she fell deeper and deeper into the tale being told. Some have likened the story of "The Hunger Games" (McCormick, Carolyn and Suzanne Collins, 2008) which this reader confesses she's not read but has seen the movies, to Julien's story; this reader can concur with that assessment at this point. Protagonist Lydia Brone is unjustly sentenced to three years on Karmace Island, an area holding female felons that have turned feral in order to survive. Reader's have as little information as Brone does; we must discover the hierarchy of the island dwellers as well as the potential problems with the convicts sentences, along with Brone. This gives a feeling of immediacy, as if we are there with Brone, experiencing what she is, as it unfolds, which in turn allows the reader to feel a greater sense of empathy for Brone and the other felons. The reader can feel Brone's deepening sense of confusion as to how she landed in this situation. All this reader can say to that is, wow! The characters are well developed and have room to grow; the setting is detailed enough that it is more than easy for a reader to visualize the place and shudder or be awed. While this reader was more than pleased with Julien's skill at storytelling, her creativity, and over all freshness of the characters, setting and the tale itself, this reader does balk at paying $2.99 each for part two and part three - the equivalent, others have stated, of around 70 pages each. This reader has absolutely no qualms giving this part of the tale five stars - while stating she likely will never find out the ultimate ending of this dystopian tale, due to pricing. However, this reader does recommend the serial writer and intends to keep her own eyes on future writings. ** Review originally posted to Amazon reviews on February 16, 2017. **
