Falling & Uprising

by Natalie Cammaratta

Overview

My star is rising, and I shine. Always.

 

Serenity Ward is the golden girl of Kaycie. She never questioned her city's status as the last dry land on earth. But now she's seen the map.

 

The Establishment lies about the other islands just beyond the horizon.

 

In a city built on falsehood, figuring out who to trust is its own challenge. Serenity pulls together a feisty group who all want the same thing—an end to the government which has hidden a world from them.

 

Bram's anger drives his desire for revolution. Being from another island, he was selected to be a brainwashed marshal in service to Kaycie, but he knows what's going on all too well. Hidden in plain sight, he is ready to draw blood to free the islands. Dealing with Serenity is the one thing he wasn't prepared for.

 

Can two people who were never supposed to meet stop fighting each other long enough to remember who the enemy is?

Product Details

BN ID:	2940167440357
Publisher:	Natalie Cammaratta
Publication date:	09/28/2023
Series:	Falling & Uprising
Sold by:	Draft2Digital
Format:	eBook
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Natalie has a bookcase with a ladder and is on a texting level relationship with her local indie bookstore owner, so her life has peaked.

In addition to writing books across a few genres (all with her signature banter), she is conducting a scientific study to determine if a human can survive on coffee and carbs alone. She’s the only subject in the study. As of the time this is being written, she’s successfully not died.

Editorial Reviews

2021-07-08
Cammaratta’s debut YA dystopian novel follows the efforts of two teenagers fighting to enact revolution in a society with dark secrets.

On the opulent island of Kaycie, where social status reigns supreme, 16-year-old Serenity Ward lives a life of fame, wealth, and comfort. However, her life, as she knows it, is based on a lie. Most people believe that Kaycie is the last surviving vestige of humanity after a global flood. In truth, there are seven other islands beyond the horizon, all secretly under the control of Kaycie’s shadowy government, known as the Establishment. They monopolize the islands’ resources and steal their residents’ children, while Kaycian citizens are kept ignorant of injustices that fuel their indulgent lifestyle. After Serenity joins Kaycie’s Leadership program and starts to learn the truth, she decides to become a spy for a rebellion operating within the Establishment. In the process, she meets Bram, a cynical young man who seeks revenge on behalf of his island home and views Serenity as a liability. However, both are aware that even their allies are keeping secrets from them, and the two will have to learn to trust each other if they’re to keep the rebellion afloat. Cammaratta’s novel hits many of the standard beats of the dystopian YA genre, but it does so with cleverness and sincerity. The worldbuilding is mostly succinct but doesn’t feel underdeveloped, and the cast, especially Serenity’s cohort of friends, speak and interact in a realistic, natural way that includes genuine moments of humor. Serenity and Bram both act as narrators, which allows the story to strike an excellent balance between vastly different viewpoints, and their tumultuous relationship develops in sweet, unexpected ways. The overall premise, which seems simple at first, grows in scope as the stakes get higher, and the novel ably interrogates the underpinnings of its setting and the ways in which unjust systems are allowed to operate unhindered. Serenity undergoes realistic, engrossing, and meaningful evolution as she struggles with betrayal, takes dangerous risks, experiences romance, and grows into the best version of herself.

An exciting series starter with engaging concepts and memorable characters.

Kirkus Reviews