Review: Children of Paranoia by Trevor Shane

Title: Children of Paranoia
Author: Trevor Shane
Genre: Dystopian
Rating: PG
Publisher: Dutton Books
Publication Date: September 8, 2011
Pages: 384
Source: Finished Copy provided by the Publisher
My Rating: 4*

[Goodreads | Amazon]

Synopsis

ALL WARS HAVE RULES

Rule Number One: No killing innocent bystanders.

Rule Number Two: No killing anyone under the age of eighteen.

BREAK THE RULES, BECOME THE TARGET

Since the age of eighteen, Joseph has been assassinating people on behalf of a cause that he believes in but doesn't fully understand. The War is ageless, hidden in the shadows, governed by a rigid set of rules, and fought by two distinct sides-one good, one evil. The only unknown is which side is which. Soldiers in the War hide in plain sight, their deeds disguised as accidents or random acts of violence amidst an unsuspecting population ignorant of the brutality that is always inches away.

Killing people is the only life Joseph has ever known, and he's one of the best at it. But when a job goes wrong and he's sent away to complete a punishingly dangerous assignment, Joseph meets a girl named Maria, and for the first time in his life his singleminded, bloody purpose fades away.

Before Maria, Joseph's only responsibility was dealing death to the anonymous targets fingered by his superiors. Now he must run from the people who have fought by his side to save what he loves most in this world. As Children of Paranoia reaches its heart-in-throat climax, Joseph will learn that only one rule remains immutable: the only thing more dangerous than fighting the War...is leaving it.

You can read an excerpt here!

My Thoughts

I am not even going to lie.  The title of the book hooked me before I even read the synopsis.  Then I read the synopsis and knew I had to get a copy for myself.  I am so glad I did.

For me, while the book started off a bit slow, it still allowed me to dive into both the characters and the story.  Once the story gets going, it really gets going and before you know it you are kneed deep in suspense, drama, action and intrigue.  I think it's a real testament to Trevor Shane's ability as a writer to be able to craft a character like Joe, who to me is the ultimate anti-hero and the opposite of everything that you would typically look up, and yet you still want to see him succeed.

I love the contrast between Joe's darkness and Maria's light.  There is just something that is so moving to me about Joe having been a person of absolutes who then has his world turned upside down by Maria and her introduction into his life.  To watch their relationship unfold and to see the changes both characters go through was just amazing.  Knowing that this was the first book in a trilogy, I didn't think that we would get a chance to see such character depth and development in the first book, but I was wrong and I was pleasantly surprised.

All in all this was a fabulous book.  I absolutely devoured it roughly four hours and of course I am now left dying to know what happens next.  Trevor Shane has managed to create an absolutely wonderful and engaging debut that leaves readers wanting more.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

About the Author: Trevor Shane lives in Brooklyn with his wife and son. This is his first novel, and the first in the trilogy.  Be sure to visit him online!

Website
Twitter
Trevor Shane on Facebook
Children of Paranoia on Facebook


Be sure to check out the other stops on the blog tour!