Feeder by Eliza Green

Feeder is a YA sci-fi novel and the first in a series.

Anya and her brother Jason have been left orphaned after their parents were killed by the rebels, right in front of them. With the radiation levels rising, they are moved to Essention where Jason is too old for the adult skills plan in Arcis, but Anya is placed on floor one. Here she meets a host of other characters that she doesn’t realise could literally be the death of her as she tries to rise up through the floors. Jason is put to work and finds himself sucked into a secret plan that could just as easily get him killed. Someone in charge of all of this seems to be playing a game with them, and it’s a game that seems rather biased. The siblings will need to form alliances if they are to stay alive, but who can they trust?

The book started off a little slow for me, but I soon got sucked into the secrets and alliances. It was interesting to see how the different puzzles on the floors were justified. Some of the decisions that had to be made really tested their characters and the author did a great job of letting us into their lives to try to understand their actions. Anya was a character that you couldn’t quite put your finger on. She was so strong and steadfast in many decisions but as soon as a romantic interest came in she turned into a bit of a girly girl and kept second guessing herself. The book doesn’t end on a cliffhanger as such but definitely leads into the next book. I had quite a few unanswered questions with this book which I hope will get answered within the series.

I enjoyed the blend of machinery and living tissue, the uncertainty of where the floors were heading and who could be trusted to go on the ride, and the revelation that the story was not actually the main story, but a point in a greater tale. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the next one.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review the book.