Review: Swipe & Sneak

Sep •  14 •  2012

Title: Swipe

Series: Swipe # 1
Genre: Young Adult- Christian/Dystopian
Author: Evan Angler
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Release Date: May 8, 2012
Book: Netgalley
Buy Links: Thomas Nelson | Amazon | Add To Good Reads

“Everyone gets the Mark. It gives all the benefits of citizenship. Yet if getting the Mark is such a good thing, then why does it feel so wrong?
Set in a future North America that is struggling to recover after famine and global war, “Swipe” follows the lives of three kids caught in the middle of a conflict they didn’t even know existed. United under a charismatic leader, every citizen of the American Union is required to get the Mark on their 13th birthday in order to gain the benefits of citizenship.
The Mark is a tattoo that must be swiped by special scanners for everything from employment to transportation to shopping. It’s almost Logan Langly’s 13th birthday and he knows he should be excited about getting the Mark, but he hasn’t been able to shake the feeling he’s being watched. Not since his sister went to get her Mark five years ago . . . and never came back.
When Logan and his friends discover the truth behind the Mark, will they ever be able to go back to being normal teenagers? Find out in the first book of this exciting series that is “Left Behind” meets “Matched” for middle-grade readers.”

After reading the synopsis of this book, I was so excited to get into.  Finally a book that I know will give me goosebumps as well as the truth of the Lord. 
First off, the plot is really good. I really loved the setting of the world that Logan is in. he is faced with lots of questions that he gets no answers too. He is searching for answer but his time is running out. The plot build up is sort of slow but quickly picks up the pace with much action by the markless. The world building of the fallen world with the ruin that are left to stand are great! I loved how easily the reader is able to let their imagination run away with them.
Logan meets other characters that help him along way. Though I am glad they help him I am disappointed in one thing. The truth. God’s Word. I was hoping that by the end of the book Logan would learn the real reason by the mark and not just because he is questioning if it is wrong or right. Know what I mean?  I
wanted Logan to stand and be courageous!! Instead in the end, the reader is left with many questions and Logan on the run.

Swipe is a great start of an awesome series. It has so much that can be build on, that the possibilities are endless. Never a dull moment, Swipe is great!

 I give it 4 BITES!

 Title: Sneak
Series: Swipe # 2
Genre: Young Adult- Christian/Dystopian
Author: Evan Angler
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Release Date: September 4, 2012
Book: Netgalley
Buy Links: Thomas Nelson | Amazon | Add To Good Reads

“In a future United States under the power of a charismatic leader, everyone gets the Mark at age thirteen. The Mark lets citizen shop, go to school, and even get medical care-but without it, you are on your own. Few refuse to get the Mark. Those who do . . . disappear.
Logan Langly went in to get his Mark, but he backed out at the last minute. Now he’s on the run from government agents who will stop at nothing to capture him. But Logan is on a mission to find and save his sister, Lily, who disappeared five years ago on her thirteenth birthday, the day she was supposed to receive her Mark.
Logan and his friends, a group of dissenters called the Dust, discover a vast network of the Unmarked, who help them travel safely to the capital city where Lily is imprisoned. Along the way, the Dust receives some startling information from the Markless community, opening their eyes to the message of Christianity and warning that humanity is now entering the End of Days.
When the Dust finally arrives in the capital, it seems that all their careful planning is useless against a government that will do anything to bend its citizens to its will. Can the gentle words Logan has found in a tattered, banned Bible really stand against the most powerful military the world has ever known? Can Logan even sacrifice his own freedom, choosing to act through faith alone?”

Since I loved the first book, getting in to the next book is easy. Logan is on the run, searching for answers and the whereabouts his sister. I really loved that once again, this plot is face-paced full of action. With each chapter, Logan begins to learn the truth, the REAL truth! This makes me so excited! It felt so amazing to watch Logan learn the real truth and be awed by it.

There are more characters introduced and this time they are not good. They invest false hope in them, giving food and shelter only it’s a trap. This high adrenaline plot made my heart race. Not to mention to global warfare with diseases. Scary!

The best part of the book is when Logan knows the truth and begins to trust and call on him. It just goes to show that whatever situation your are in he is always there. And while I was reading this section, it felt so amazing that I wanted to play Casting Crowns, “Courageous” in the back round. Young men and women, standing together fighting the fight. AMAZING!

Sneak is far better then the first book. With bigger revelations on the enemies plan, you must decide which side you are on? The pleasure in stepping in such a realistic book captures the reader. Coming in full force, Sneak is an action thriller that will blow you away!

I give it 5 BITES!

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About the author:

Evan lives without the Mark, evading DOME and writing in the shadows of Beacon.

Swipe is his first book. But if anyone asks, you know nothing about it, and you didn’t hear anything from him. Don’t make eye contact if you see him. Don’t call his name out loud. He’s in enough trouble already.


And so are you, if you’ve read his book.


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2 Comments

  1. Maji Bookshelf
    Sep 14, 2012

    Great reviews!! hmm Logan just ran away?! That seems annoying!! But im really glad the second book was better than the first! Very well written love!
    – Farah @ MajiBookshelf

  2. Hm… in a way it sounds like a twist on Logan’s Run. Not my genre, but I am so glad you enjoyed it so much! I have some peeps that I think may really enjoy this one. I’ll have to recommend it. 🙂