Swipe (Swipe Series, 1)

The suspense is what made this book!I went into this with the mindset that it would be a Last Days/Rapture kinda story what with the Mark and all (Mark of the Beast). It wasn't until I finished reading and was mentally preparing this review that it dawned on me that this wasn't really a "Christian-fiction" so to speak. That's not to say it wasn't a clean read because it was- no language or explicate scenes- but there weren't many Christian elements one usually sees (praying, themes of trust and faith, depending on God, etc.) I don't believe God was even mentioned (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong). I would consider this a dystopian/sci-fi but that's just me.Anyway...like I said from the start, the suspense was everything. There were some really great twists and surprises along the way. Some were kinda predictable but still well done. The constant feeling of being spied on, creeping around in ominous parks after dark, and not knowing who to trust made me keep reading late into the night. The Mark itself was so similar in many ways to the Mark of the Beast described in Revelation. Scary realistic. Unless Marked, characters couldn't work, buy, travel, vote or anything. Technically they weren't even considered citizens. I could also see the One World Order in the story- global unity and all that.I had a hard time relating to some of the characters, especially some of the Dust. Logan was an okay character. He went from a panicky kid in the beginning to a determined/desperate kid doing what needed to be done. Erin is a character all her own and it was interesting seeing her and Logan clash with their polar opposite personalities. I really would have liked more back story on Meg. And Wallace....that part was really sad.I haven't read a lot of sci-fi books. Futuristic technology usually goes over my head and I have trouble visualizing it but I think my favorite technological parts were the walls in the school. (If you haven't read this yet then that statement probably sounds strange, but trust me. The walls are cool)I believe I covered just about every aspect. Overall I really enjoyed this and am giving it a 3.5 rating. Looking forward to seeing what's in store for Logan in the next book. The ending was great and really leaves the reader wanting more. I recommend this to anyone who's up for a suspenseful dystopian.

This isn't exactly what I'd call four stars, rather a 3.5, but overall, for a YA dystopia, you could do a LOT worse. Logan and his timidity+paranoia snagged my interest from the very first page and I found myself rooting for him a lot more than I expected. Erin, the new girl in town, was also a joy to read. It's a little different than usual YA, given that they're both barely thirteen, but I loved their interactions and their chemistry, which eventually grew to include some very sweet romantic elements. Not too much, but it's there and I thought it was adorable. I also loved Logan's arch throughout the story, and Erin as well. The writing was airtight and the dialogue of this story is just the crown jewel. Erin and Logan's banter is hilarious to read.The problem is that Erin and Logan were just about the only people I could care about and the overall plot didn't expand the way I would have expected to. I feel like so many of the last YA books I've read contain the same problem. The summary promises so much adrenaline and world-building and then the plot just doesn't deliver! The premise for this book sounded so intriguing and made a big deal about "what does getting the Mark mean?!! what does it do to people?" and that question is just NEVER answered or even brought up. Peck, supposedly a kidnapper in the shadows, a wild card, turns out to be the mild mannered head honcho of a gang of kids that I just never grew to care about. We don't learn anything about them at all. I can't remember their names. So their eventual transition from "evil psycho kidnappers!" to "noble rebels risking everything!" doesn't strike any chords at all! I couldn't care what they were to begin with! And too much of the plot revolves around them to make it a passable insult. By the end of the book, although Logan and Erin's lives have taken a dramatic turn, that's about all that happens.Now that I think about, the book rating could take a severe dive if it weren't for Logan and Erin. They really are what made this for me!

I discovered this series while searching on Amazon for a Christian alternative to The Hunger Games, which I felt were excessively violent and bloody. I found the series based on suggestions given by those Amazon reviewers critiquing other dystopian literature on the market.I got the book for my kids to enjoy for the Literature component of our homeschool learning environment.My 14-year old son, who really loved the series, told me that if it were a movie based exactly on the books, it would be rated G or PG-13 because the only violence is where a guard gets knocked out. Another part that was somewhat macabre or disturbing was where someone's severed hand was traded on the black market on account of the mark it bore.In contrast, there is actual killing and plenty of detailed bloodshed in Hunger Games that I felt was unnecessarily inappropriate for my kids at this age to process and absorb emotionally and spiritually.Plus, my kids really dug these books and even begged me to read them, too, and to get more that followed in the series. I think that's the best testimony for a book that a parent can ask for.

My daughter who is 12 loved it and now wants the rest of the series.

Great book- both my 11 year old (boy and girl) twins loved it and wanted to read the next in the series. Gripping.

Had me dangling for more with each chapter!I was hoping for more focus on God throughout the book although, a wonderful read...I hate to rate it four out of five due to that factor.

This book is very well written. It grabs your interest immediately and keeps it thru out the story. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes end times, apocalyptic type books.