Review of The Exemeus by "I'm an eclectic reader"

Hello all,

I'm back after a little break. Today I'm reposting someone else's post about our book. It's included below:

I have to start this review with a confession. I don’t like the name Hyalee, which happens to be the name of the main character in The Exemeus. I can’t help it. The name just doesn’t work for me. So I had trouble liking a character named like that. It’s a weird pet peeve of mine, and here more importantly, I have the feeling the name didn’t match the character, which is another pet peeve of mine. At around page twenty, I was convinced this book wasn’t going to be for me. But I kept on reading, hoping to find something I liked.

And I did. Because by the time I very well realized it, I was halfway through this book and eager to read more. Even despite my initial reservations, I absolutely loved this book. I devoured it. By the time I was at midway point, I couldn’t stop reading anymore.

The story is amazing. Dephon is trying to find a way to survive ninth grade in the post-apocalyptic world she lives in, which is pretty dystopian. By the way, Dephon is a pretty cool name, which made up for Hyalee’s name being not as cool, in my opinion. But Dephon has powers, powers the government want to eliminate, because, like most dystopian governments they’re highly allergic to anythigng that can cause a threat to them. So they want Dephon out of the picture, and they literally sent an army of assassins to do so. Dephon has no choice but to fight back, and help the greatest warrior in history. Problem? Hyalee, said great warrior, well, she’s dead.

And that’s where the rollercoaster ride that this book is truly picks up, and everything beyond that point is amazing. I didn’t just enjoy this book, I LOVED it. Dephon isn’t your typical YA fantasy character, and neither is Hyalee, but they both pretty much rock. The society of Trepton, where they live, isn’t entirely dystopian but it comes pretty close. Most of all I loved the background story, the setting and the lore.

If you choose one YA novel to read in January and you like fantasy, choose this one.