Countdown by Michelle Rowen

3 seconds left to live.

Once the countdown starts, it cannot be stopped.

2 pawns thrown into a brutal underground reality game.

Kira Jordan survived her family's murder and months on plague-devastated city streets with hard-won savvy and a low-level psi ability. She figures she can handle anything. Until she wakes up in a barren room, chained next to the notorious Rogan Ellis.

1 reason Kira will never, ever trust Rogan. Even though both their lives depend on it.

Their every move is controlled and televised for a vicious exclusive audience. And as Kira's psi skill unexpectedly grows and Rogan's secrets prove ever more deadly, Kira's only chance of survival is to risk trusting him as much as her instincts. Even if that means running head-on into the one trap she can't escape.

GAME 0VER

(From NetGalley)


My Thoughts:

This book was kind of a surprise for me. I don't usually go for dystopian fiction because I don't like that whole post-apocalyptic theme. But I've read stories from this author before and really liked them, so I thought I would give it a try. In the beginning, I really wondered why - for about the first couple of pages. After that, I was sucked in and didn't stop until I finished the book. In one sitting. That's right. Read the whole thing in just a matter of hours - not even a full day! That is how amazingly addictive this book is.

Once I got to know the characters of Kira and Rogan, it was just a race to the end to see how things worked out for them. They seemed to have so much against them, and there were so many reasons why they shouldn't even be together, but they are together - reluctant partners in a Survivor-like game of survival where the elimination is actual death, not just a trip off the island. They have to rely on each other to get to different levels of the game, but they have many forces in  the background working against them. They don't know who to trust - including each other - but they do know they will do almost anything to get to the next level and, ultimately, win the game - and their freedom. Throughout the game, they are often pitted against each other, which just amps up the stakes and the suspense all the more.

I'm afraid I've already given too much away, so I'm going to stop here and just say this: If you liked The Hunger Games, then do yourself a favor and read Countdown. It is an amazing gem of a book.