Untamed

I really enjoyed this gripping, dark, fast-paced novel by Madeline Dyer. The author is really good at creating characters with a lot of depth. I connected with Seven, the MC, right from the start. I felt her urgency, her fear, her desire to do what's right. The opening pulled me in and propelled me through the story. I had to see where she went and how things turned out.
Seven is fighting to survive in a dystopian world that's divided between two groups: people living as normal humans, and people who are enhanced via mind/body/soul altering substances. There is a war going on between them, and Seven finds herself caught in the middle.
From start to finish, this book kept me on the edge of my seat. There was rarely a calm moment as each scene seemed to catapult Seven into ever deeper danger. I was completely fascinated by the portrayal of addiction to substances that don't exist now, but very well could one day.
The romance in this novel begins as understated, and its subtle development is very well done.
If you're looking for a suspenseful dystopian read that's full of surprises, check it out!

'Untamed' is a wonderful amalgamation of genres; dystopian fiction and futuristic sci-fi, revitalized with a strong female protagonist whose loyalty to her family makes her universally relatable. A must-read! :)

This book proves Dystopian is not dead. Not dead at all. Seven is a rock solid, super cool female heroine that I could root for. Dyer creates a captivating dystopian world that I can't wait to dive into again when the series continues in book two. Supporting characters were richly drawn and the pacing was spot on. Loved it! Bring on the sequel!

I connected with UNTAMED in a slightly different way than most of the reviewers. Like them, I was really excited by this new dystopian series. I love a good dystopian! But as I read it, I couldn't help but see the connection between the escapism found in consuming augmenters and the current heroine crisis in many many schools, particularly in my own community. Additionally, the Enhanced in Dryer's book, use the augmenters as a way to also avoid feeling unpleasant of difficult emotions. It's an opportunity to circumvent physical "imperfections." This is a relatable concept in a world where photoshop messes with the minds and often the health of a great portion of the population. Dyer does a great job touching on these challenging issues without ever speaking of them directly or being preachy. I'm interested to see what happens in book two.