A Soldier and A Liar

<i>A Soldier and A Liar</i> is a YA-Dystopian novel set in a world where supernaturally-gifted teens, known as Nytes, are feared and shunned by the rest of society.<br><br>The set-up of the world is similar to that of <i>The Hunger Games</i>, with different sectors living independently of one another. There's also dangerous beings on the outside that make travel outside the sectors dangerous.<br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1631454611ra/31912782.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>The entire society is quite fractured, with the ungifted wanting to suppress, or eradicate the Nytes; rebel forces willing to fight back against the ungifted and a smaller faction wanting everyone to just get along.<br><br>Unsurprisingly, the government certainly doesn't mind using the Nytes when it works to their own advantage.<br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1631454611ra/31912783.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>Lai Cathwell is a Nyte and a talented soldier, who in the beginning of the story is in prison, but not for the reasons people think.<br><br>When the military wants to re-recruit her to aid in a special mission against rebel forces, they send in a fellow soldier and Nyte, Jay, to try to convince her to join up.<br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1631454611ra/31912784.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>Lai is initally unimpressed, but there's something about Jay that has her intrigued.<br><br>Ultimately, she decides to help and agrees to commit to the team, not just with Jay, but with two other fellow Nytes, Al and Erik. Together the four are set the task of eliminating the rebel threat and saving the sector from a long and brutal war.<br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1631454964ra/31912804.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>I've had a copy of this book since it was initially released at the beginning of 2019. I love a good Dystopian story and the color scheme of this cover had me sold. I decided to pick it up recently as a <b>backlist bump</b>; my way of actually reading some of the books on my shelves.<br><br>I'm so happy that I did. I really enjoyed this story. From the very first chapter I was intrigued by the set-up of the world and the characters.<br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1631454611ra/31912786.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>Lai, in particular, is the character I connect with the most. She's a bit of a wildcard and I enjoy that about her. You never really know what she is going to do. She's smart, strong and used to standing on her own, away from the maddening crowd.<br><br>I also really like Jay. He has a difficult relationship with his overbearing father and feels like he always has to be perfect. Even though he has excelled in his military career, is smart and capable, he still struggles a bit with self-consciousness.<br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1631454611ra/31912787.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>Jay is selected to function as the team leader, which works quite well as the team members train together and learn to trust one another.<br><br>I loved the team training aspect. That's a trope I tend to enjoy, so I was happy to find it here. The missions were dangerous and full of action. I also like the layers of this world that keep being revealed; like peeling back the layers of an onion.<br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1631454611ra/31912788.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>This ended on a great cliffhanger and I have already started the second book, which is equally as compelling.<br><br>Overall, I had such a fun time reading this. I am always so happy when I randomly pluck a book off the shelf and it turns out to be a winner. Another successful backlist bump. Let this be a lesson to us all, <b>don't neglect your backlist!!!</b><br><br><img src="https://images.gr-assets.com/hostedimages/1631454611ra/31912789.gif" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy">

Four gifted teens will learn the meaning of teamwork in order to prevent a war that could end the world and one of them may be the prophesied to make the ultimate sacrifice…<br><br>Caitlin Lochner’s <b>A SOLDIER AND A LIAR</b> is an action-packed tale where coming of age can be deadly for those who are “gifted” with special abilities, expected to save their world, yet are shunned by the normal around them.<br><br>Brilliantly colored characters, a plot that shines with imagination and an author who has brought it all together never wasting a single word!<br><br>Lai is a master of deceit, an accomplished escape artist and yet, she is the most untrained of her group when it comes to warfare, offense and defense. She jumped off the pages for me as a fresh character with so many facets to who she is. <br>I am very impressed with the potential for an incredible series that will have readers begging for more! <br><br>I received a complimentary ARC edition from Swoon Reads!<br><br>Publisher: Swoon Reads (February 19, 2019)<br>Publication Date: February 19, 2019<br>Genre: YA Scifi<br>Print Length: 350 pages<br>Available from: <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Soldier-Liar-Caitlin-Lochner-ebook/dp/B07BFB8KLQ/" rel="nofollow noopener">Amazon</a> | <a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-soldier-and-a-liar-caitlin-lochner/1128119433?ean=9781250168252#/" rel="nofollow noopener">Barnes &amp; Noble</a><br>For Reviews, Giveaways, Fabulous Book News, follow: <a href="http://tometender.blogspot.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">http://tometender.blogspot.com</a><br><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-VzWcuxwzgIg/VCiZSxUyvmI/AAAAAAAAfb0/Zeysvfwdgos/s1600/June%2BHeader%2Bw%2Bhttp.jpg" rel="nofollow noopener"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1411946937i/11303744._SX540_.jpg" height="250" width="400" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> </a>

YASSSS SQUAD ??

Hunger Games meets X-Men in this unique and highly addictive read. <br /><br />In a post apocalyptic world, there are two kinds of people Etiole and Nyte. Etioles are more numerous and run the Council and army. Nytes are gifted. They heal faster and have unique abilities, because of this, they’re forced to join the military at a young age. <br /><br />Lai is a former soldier who has spent the last 2 years in prison. At least that’s what the Council thinks. In reality, she’s used her telepathic powers to work for and recruit for the Order (a peace organization) while slipping in and out of her cell. General Austin visits her in prison and asks her to join a special military team of Nytes. She says no at first, but decides she might be able to do more good out of prison. But the new team has problems and her past is going to catch up with her.<br /><br />Jay is a model soldier and Nyte. He’s been tasked to lead a team of 3 Nytes. Lai Cathwell, recently out of prison. Mendel who can’t remember his life before 3 months ago. Johann who is a transfer from another sector. He’s sympathetic and smart, but it’s difficult trying to make a team out of them. Especially a team able to fight the growing rebel Nytes.<br /><br />Told from Lai and Jay’s perspectives, they are both complex characters with difficult pasts and uncertain futures. Can they trust each other?<br /><br />Amazing world-building and a fast-paced plot make this book an adventure you won’t want to miss.

In a society ruled by the Council, a special force of gifted teens are assembled to fight an emerging underground cell of rebels. <br /><br />Lai is a former soldier who hides her telepathic ability, using it to her advantage against those she doesn’t trust—practically everyone. When she meets Jay, her new commander, a brilliant yet humble military figure, Lai begins to realize trusting a stranger might be the hardest part of the mission.<br /><br />Jay exists to bear the weight of his father’s expectations and has never questioned the military, but after Lai joins his team, he wonders if he’s been following the wrong orders.<br /><br />With an apocalyptic backdrop and a cast of well developed characters, Caitlin Lockner’s A SOLDIER AND A LIAR examines the nature of society while weaving a complex, action packed story. <br />

This book had <b> <u>great characters, but horrifically bad worldbuilding.</u> </b><br /><br />It's told in dual first-person perspective by <b>Lorelei 'Lai' Cathwell</b> and <b>Jay Kitahara</b>, a pair of Nytes - meaning people born with special powers. She's a telepath, and he's an empath who can also tell if someone's lying. They're in the army in the service of Etioles, non-gifted people, who vastly outnumber Nytes; the current threat at the moment is rebel Nytes, who want to overthrow the Etioles and end the discrimination faced by the gifted. <br /><br />The other two members of Jay's team are <b>Al Johann</b>, a girl pretending to be a boy, and <b>Erik Mendel</b>, a frequent liar. They have to work together to end the rebel threat. Lai is also a member of the Amaranthine Order, a group of Nytes dedicated to instilling cooperation between Nytes and Etioles.<br /><br />Okay, so: <b> <u>there was frankly zero explanation behind the concept of Nytes.</u> </b><br /><br />They're humans born with gifts. How? Where did the gifts come from? At least in Marie Lu's <i>The Young Elites</i>, the gifts come from a specific illness. Here, vague mention is made of radiation before being dismissed. There are also frequent references to how Nytes rarely live beyond their teenage years. Why???? Do their gifts kill them? Do Etioles kill them? Does service in the army kill them? For that matter, are there any civilian Nytes or are they automatically drafted into the army? How can the army tell who's a Nyte and who isn't? When do these gifts manifest themselves? <br /><br /><b> <u>The layout of the surroundings was also poorly explained.</u> </b> I found it incredibly hard to visualise the setting whenever they left their army barracks to carry out missions - it just wasn't described well enough. Also, there are sectors like the in The Hunger Games, and different sectors are supposed to have different rules etc, but there was no further information given to actually help us differentiate between these sectors. In fact, I can't even remember which sector all the action is happening in. There was also no reference to what kind of technology exists in this world, or anything - it was <b>intensely generic.</b><br /><br />On the bright side, <b> <u>I really liked Jay and Lai's characters.</u> </b> They're smart and talented without being Mary Sues. The secondary characters (apart from Al and Mendel) weren't very well fleshed out, but they weren't intolerably bad either.<br /><br /><b> <u>OVERALL</u> </b><br /><br />Bad world with no explanation or depth behind it, but likeable protagonists. <br />

This book has potential: a crossover type of world like in The Hunger Games but with people born with abilities that are looked down upon and feared like in the X-Men. I wish the world had been better developed. There are glaring holes of information that could be included to make the world feel more realistic. That said, the thing that bothers me the most is how the military rank system seems to be really relaxed. A corporal can talk back to a major without any repercussions and a sergeant major can question a generals decision in front of other, higher ranking military officers: no, absolutely not. I did like the characters. They are strong with interesting backstories. And I enjoyed the premise of the book, though it is a bit boring in areas, and very redundant sometimes. It’s an interesting story, and I am interested to see how the author expanded on the world and characters in the next book. As it stands, though, 3 stars.

<b>3.5 stars</b>.<br />It has the <b>found family</b> trope, and it's done pretty well. I loved the way this trope was written!<br /><br />But overall, this was a slightly interesting story. The premise is great and I love the whole idea with superpowers. It's your typical dystopian with powers and having ungifted humans vs. gifted humans, but it does have its own twists on everything that makes the story worth the read. <br /><br />It was quite slow for me in the beginning, but I really did enjoy the characters. They get much better throughout the entire story and I'm actually very curious to see where Lochner takes the story.<br /><br />I also sometimes got bored with Jay's POV, yet his character is also very interesting. All the characters that we see are very complex and have their own secrets and lies that continue to add to the entire plot, and its done very well. Their little sideline plots don't take away from the entire premise; it just adds a little more to the story to make it more interesting.

*Source* Publisher<br />*Genre* Young Adult / Dystopian<br />*Rating* 3.5<br /><br />*Thoughts*<br /><br />A Soldier and a Liar is the first installment in author Caitlin Lochner's duology. In this world, Nytes have special abilities and can function outside the domed sectors of this dystopian world. The Etoiles are what's left of humankind. They make up the majority of the population, but fear the Nytes due to their abilities. One of the key players of this story is First Lieutenant Lorelai (Lai) Cathwell. Lai is a former soldier who has spent 2 1/2 years in prison for reasons that won't be come clear for some time. Her gift allows her to hear people's thoughts (Telepath). <br /><br />*Full Review @ Gizmos Reviews*<br /><br /><a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/2020/04/review-soldier-and-liar-by-caitlin.html">https://gizmosreviews.blogspot.com/20...</a>

Solid YA sci fi! I wish the author had handled a gender queer issue better. But I enjoyed the overall premise. I received this book as a free giveaway in exchange for my honest review. Worth reading! 3.5 stars