Insurrection (Insurrection, #1)

SCI-FI/ADVENTURE:  Teenager Saylor MacTavish and her three sisters-by-circumstance run away from Oak Point Girls’ Home right before their caretaker separates them forever. Stealing a boat and sailing away is a dream come true, but hitting a reef, being taken by pirates, and ending up imprisoned on a mysterious military base on a Caribbean island is definitely not part of their plans. Saylor is thrown in a cell, accused of being a spy, and then when the place collapses on top of her, she wakes in a hospital-like bed. Her life’s path is taking yet another dramatic turn, but is it one that will make or break her?

Taking the young-adult genre and turning it on its ear, Ms. Carder produces a fascinating tale of one teen’s journey from one aspect of a post-apocalyptic world into one that’s completely different from the life she escaped. The mysterious island and inhabitants will keep one guessing. Unfortunately, the timeline is a bit wonky and the science as well as the rebuilding of society in so short a time after the Flare stretches the bounds of believability a bit too far, drawing a head-scratching reader completely out of the story. Additionally, Saylor’s military training drags on and on for endless pages. This area could have been cut extensively and still contributed to the plot. Overall though, Saylor carries the show, her determination, grit, and internal fortitude an inspiration to one and all.

Carol Conley