I Am Alive

Cameron Jace

Average Rating 7/10 (1 Review)

Sixteen-year-old Decca Tenderstone feels captivated when she meets gorgeous and reckless Leo, who is arrogant, silent, beautiful, and shoots almost every one he meets. Your everyday girl meets badboy lame story ... hmm ... with a twist ...

They live in a dystopian future in Los Angeles where every sixteen-year-old is ranked on a scale from one to ten to determine their future. Outranks, who are considered a danger to society, are forced to attend the Monster Show, a brutal sacrificing ritual that is broadcasted worldwide on live TV, where rebellious teens are labelled Bad Kidz or Monsters and get to fight for their lives in deadly games.

The only way the jury still knows that you're still alive is to scream 'I Am Alive' as loud as you can every six hours. Lower your voice, and you’re dead.

While Decca and Leo can't stand each other, she will find out why she doesn't fit into any rank, and why her mother tried to kill her when she was seven.

Nothing will stand in her way as she has to make choices concerning love, life, staying alive, growing up, and finding out who she really is.

Review by Lewis Deakin (311012) Rating (7/10)

Review by Lewis Deakin
Rating 7/10
Amazon’s Kindle reading device has enabled thousands of authors to self-publish and reach a wide audience. I recently read I Am Alive written by Cameron Jace - he had me hooked as I wondered from chapter to chapter what was going to happen to Decca in the Playa.

Decca lives in a world where ever teenager is ranked on a scale of 1-10 those who score five and above are considered socially "acceptable," if you score below five you become a monster. The monsters are then rounded up and forced to fight in the battlefield to the death all in the name of The Burning Man.

16 year old Decca decides to volunteer herself into the battle to find her friend Woo who has alleged died trying to win the game and become ranked last year. But, Decca finds herself in the midst of a love triangle as she is instantly attracted to celebrity contestant Leo - but she also loves Woo her best friend who she is risking everything to find.

Jace makes frequent reference to mankind's past and present which is a clever reminder that the victors of war write our history. This enables the evil Hannibal Xitler to keep Faya under his control. It is also perhaps a warning that as society develops through technological advancement that our over reliance on gadgets could lead to disaster.

Despite the circumstances that Decca finds herself in Jace enables his characters to have a sense humour and a sarcastic look at the world around them. No one emphasises this point more than Leo, who learns the truth of this world and decides to fight Xitler head on. He leaves Faya in exile but returns and is sent immediately into the Monster Show to fight for forgiveness. However, throughout the show Leo’s sarcasm is cleverly used as he mocks the other characters for being unable to understand that the history they’ve been told of their world is a lie.

The American author also makes his novel action packed through the games the contestants are forced to go through just to survive which keeps people wondering about what happens next. Xitler tells Decca that the more Faya believes in his ranking system the less humane they become. This is why the monsters and Breakfast Club are so important. They are the embodiment of the human condition and they are the seeds of revolution that Xitler has fought for decades to prevent. It is clear to see how repulsed these characters are by the monster show and that the majority of people in Faya have been brainwashed that they cannot comprehend that the game is murder.

Jace leaves the reader in suspense as he ends on a cliff-hanger that will have people demanding more from the author. It is a novel that I just couldn’t put down… and after you start to read you will feel ALIVE as you dig deeper into the world of Faya.
Lewis Deakin (31st October 2012)