Solid first book in a new YA Sci-Fi series

Watcher is the first in A.J. Eversley’s Watcher series. In a future war-torn US, where robots have turned against humans, watchers protect the humans who are left.

My first impression of this book was how much I loved the cover. Although reading a book off the cover alone is risky business, I was hoping it would pay off. Fortunately, it did.

Sawyer is the main protagonist. She’s a watcher for the group she’s lived with over the last ten years. She’s brave and a talented fighter, but she’s also impulsive, which gets her into a couple of tough situations. One of the things I liked the most about Sawyer was that she was flawed and not some prodigy Mary Sue. Is she a good fighter and watcher? Yes. However, her young age also shows in her impulsive decision making and naivety that so many teenagers have. You know the one, we all had it: “that would never happen to me, that only happens to other people”. For the most part, she is level-headed, but these small lapses in judgment make her feel so much more genuine and relatable than a character who always makes impulsive decisions and seldom pays the consequences.

This story is told mostly from Sawyer’s POV, but we also get a few chapters from Kenzie, a mysterious new guy the watchers meet while on a mission. Kenzie left me feeling conflicted in all the best ways throughout the book. I thought I had him figured out, then a twist, thought I had him figured out again, then another twist.

One thing the book lacked for me was world-building. I’m hoping that book two, Carbon, is able to provide more of that, which with how it ended, I suspect it will. The book is more action-oriented than character-driven, which I’m okay with, but I would have liked the supporting characters to be a little more developed because when key characters died, I barely felt the loss. Regardless, this was a solid first book in a new YA Sci-Fi series, and I can give my recommendation with no reservations.

Audio:
5/5 stars
I’ve never listened to anything either of them have narrated before but would listen to both of them again. Chelsea Stevens’ cadence was clear, easy to listen to, and she had distinct voices for each of the characters. One thing I’m hyper-aware of when listening to a male narrator is how they do female voices. I have been able to trudge through a lot of bad narrations, but one sure thing that will make me stop listening is a male narrator who gives females whiny or unrealistic high pitched voices. Steve Campbell is not that kind of narrator. His female voices vary in pitch to make them distinguishable, but none of them sounded breathy, whiny, or squeaky. Like Stephens, he gave each character distinct voices and was pleasant to listen to.

At the end of the audio, there was a sample of book two, which seems to be even better than book one. It immediately hooked me and I was so disappointed when it ended. I’m definitely continuing on with the series.

Note: on the bottom of the blurb, it says “Divergent meets Terminator,” but I would liken it more to Partials by Dan Wells. Partials is one of my favorite series ever and deeply underrated in the world of YA dystopian/Sci-Fi, in my opinion.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

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1 person found this helpful

Loved it! I can't wait to listen to Carbon!

I just finished listening to Watcher and can't wait to listen to Carbon, and then Savior! AJ Eversly wrote a great Dystopian story in the Watcher and I loved the dual narration. Stephens and Campbell brought me to the world and brought it to life! Great job all around! I loved it!
This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

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1 person found this helpful

good start to trilogy

own trilogy. solid story, originality ok, good heroine. recieved copy from author for honest review.

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A bad time to be a human.

Wow, too real! There is a very good reason for this re-occurring theme. Once you totally give all decision power to an AI, I do believe it is a quick spiral down. Very good entry to this genre. I highly recommend this book and series. Now for the obligatory: "I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

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LOVED IT!

This audiobook really captured my imagination. It definitely has a Terminator feel to it.

Dystopian done right, especially for the younger crowd, but I'm in the not-so-younger crowd and I loved it!
She's a little good, a little bad, and a whole lot of fun. Sawyer is a great character, and I definitely like the writing style and the narration was awesome!

It's an intricate, hard world for humans. The fight for survival is real, and there are few left to win back their world.

I think it's the beginning of an awesome series, and I'll definitely be interested in MORE! :)

Really enjoyed it :)

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
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2 people found this helpful

different kind of post apocalyptic

i really like post apocalypse stories because they show a lot about the human condition. You right people in crazy situations and you want to read how people might react to the environment and survive it.

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loved it

two great sounding narrotors working together on an really well write story. can't wait to start on book 2.

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"I was given the free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review."

I enjoyed listening to this book. I don't know why but I was expecting something different.

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Who is being Watched?

Sawyer is a strong, street smart young woman who has sworn her life to protecting humans and their humanity from the evilness of a power-hungry scientist. Everything Sawyer knew is false, everything she believed is false and everything she feels is false. With her head spinning, she pursues her hunt of carbons and bots without mercy trying to save the innocent.

AJ Eversley built a strong world with equally strong characters and a storyline that captures the attention of her listeners. The character development is well done, the dialog matches each character and the way they move throughout the story is realistic. Some parts are predictable, most are not. Eversley has a talent for throwing curve balls into her plot twists. Although a bit dark, there are humanizing pieces that make the listener smile – Chevy (dog not the car or actor), teenage love angst and discovering oneself. Rich in detail and vivid descriptions Eversley paints the story with words. Although it is a story of robots taking over the world that has been done in several different ways, Eversley brings a fresh take to it.

The narrators, Chelsea Stephens and Steve Campbell, performance was well done. I enjoyed having Campbell narrating the male thoughts and Stephens narrating the female thoughts. It helped give more perspective to the situations, you were seeing it from two points of view. Stephens and Campbell’s performances were excellent. They provided a connection between the characters and listeners helping to move the story along at a good pace.

I cannot wait to see what Sawyer does, as she continues to uncover half-truths and discovers just how deep the evilness goes.

There were no issues with the production or quality of the audiobook, it was clear and crisp.

Audiobook was provided for review by the author/narrator/publisher.
Please find this complete review and many others at my review blog.
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4 people found this helpful

Fantastic start

Was surprised how much I enjoyed this book. The dual narrative was a major bonus and the story was super realistic, lots of action!

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