"We are the birthday children and we will find a way to survive."

I'm really on the fence about this one. I struggled, in the beginning, to continue reading. The pacing was jarring and frustrating and the answers were very slow in coming.

But the answers are good and interesting. There are similar stories out there but none with quite the same twist as this one. I think it's just enough to get me to read book 2. ( )

{My thoughts} – I have become a huge fan of dystopian novels. I have read quite a few over the years and to me sometimes it’s like the same story but it’s altered slightly different. I know you know what I mean when I say that. This book had been compared to the Hunger Games {I’ve read}, Gone and the Maze Runner. All those series have wonderful popular ratings, so I thought why not and decided I’d give the book a chance. I usually just pick up a book and start reading it not really caring about what it’s about, but lately I have been in a reading rut, so I wanted to read something that would pull me in and hold my attention. This book successfully did that.

The way in which this book is written makes it entirely unique in terms of other books I have read in the past. I enjoyed that the characters and the readers were both in the same boat. That neither had more information than the other. As I was learning things and turning the pages, the characters were learning the same things while turning corners, kind of thing. I was drawn to it. The description within the pages can be described as brilliant, disturbing, and questionable considering it is a young adult book about twelve year-old children in a sense. However, it is so well written that those things just add to the appeal of the story and the book, and to the characters and their presentation.

I honestly think, that this author did an incredible job writing this book and it would make an interesting film adaptation. I can’t wait to begin book two in this trilogy and find out what is in store for our characters. ( )

3.5 Stars rounded up to 4

Well that was pretty intense!

CW: There is quite a yucky animal hunting scene with prolonged animal suffering, gore, violence, murder of babies and children

What a great mystery and I 100% agree that you should go in knowing as little as possible. That way you are as confused as the main characters are as they work to understand where they are and why they were inside coffins. I actually can't say too much more other than it is quite gory and violent in parts. I didn't pick the big reveal...at all...like not even close. I'm not even going to put my usual number of tags on as it will be a spoiler! Sorry, not sorry that this was probably a really unhelpful review! ( )

Young adult, dystopian novel. I listened to the full dramatization (graphic audio) production. It was entertaining, not hard to engage. It seemed to explore issues of what it takes to be a leader, human attributes. The story slowly reveals what is going on from the beginning where nothing is known. First book of a trilogy (The Generation Triology). I will probably not read further. ( )

I listened to Alive because it was offered during the summer's Audiobooksync selections.

M Savage wakes up because she feels something stabbing her, only to find complete darkness. Panicking, she fights the snake she feels woke her and breaks everything around her in order to get out, which takes a lot of strength. She finds that she's been in, what she calls, a coffin with a tube that she thought was a snake. Looking around, she discovers that her coffin is in a room of coffins. Suddenly, someone starts screaming to be let out. Savage quickly breaks Spingate out of her coffin. Spingate possesses natural mechanical knowledge and figures out how to get everyone out of their coffins without breaking them. They all believe they are twelves years old because each one says that today is his/her 12th birthday. They aren't. They are obviously much older, like 18 or 19. They discover their names on their coffins. Okay, so the question now is, where are they? Next question: how do we get out?

Savage naturally leads (killing one who desires to usurp her) and everyone follows because she makes decisions. She seems confident in them, so they follow her. She also woke up first and got herself out whereas no one else was able to do this feat. Decision: walk in a straight line. They can't get lost and the hallway has to go somewhere. Suddenly, there's another group with a leader: Bishop. Groups join, but who should lead. Savage wins. She really leads naturally. She uses Bishop, Spingate, and the others according to their skills. Bishop doesn't seem to be angry, and they work well together. As they explore their surroundings, they only add more questions to their growing list.

As the novel progresses, they discover more about where they are and why they are there. What are they willing to do to survive?

I honestly didn't care for this novel. Granted, I'm not a big science fiction reader, but I think it was because I listened to the audio. I didn't like M Savage's voice or style of narration. The delivery seemed wooden and not genuine where I believed I was listening to M Savage; therefore, I had trouble suspending my disbelief. This audio was enhanced, which was a bit over the top. There's a cast of characters acting out the book with sound added to make it seem real. It seemed a bit cheesy to me. As far as the plot, it really revolves around mankind's basic attributes. What type of person leads? When you lead, what decisions do you make--do they benefit you to get more power or do they benefit the group to evenly distribute responsibility and power? What survival skills does each person possess and what is each person willing to do to live? Can you sacrifice someone else for yourself or for the group? How do you keep people together to achieve the same goal? What do you do with people who don't want to follow and vocally disagree. I think lots of middle schoolers will enjoy it. It's fast-paced and surprising. This novel is book one; the trilogy is complete, so you are able to read the entire trilogy without waiting for a book to be published. ( )

I really loved this book, it was not what I was expecting. I love the main character and the other secondary main characters. The author did a great job of creating them.

The book had me hooked from the first chapter and I couldn't put the book down. Good thing I read it on a day I had nothing to do, because I finished it all in one day. I was not disappointed.

Another thing the Author did, was I did not guess correctly on several of the revealings, only a couple. I liked that, because I've read too many books with being able to easily guess what's going to happen. This book was different from others I have read in the past.

Overall I loved this book and I hope the Author continues it. Which from the ending, it sounds like there could be a second book. Considering this isn't even out yet, I will have to wait a long while for it.

I was given this book on a giveaway. ( )

Very torn on how I feel about this book. I've never noticed before but the author was male and the main character was female. Normally, wouldn't have even thought of it...but not entirely sure everything in the book...was...how do you say...appropriate?

This book felt like a poor man's Maze Runner/Hunger Games. Highly agree that the less you know about the book the better, but I enjoyed the overall storyline.

Unsure if I'll continue in the series though. Just...meh. ( )

A perfectly serviceable "Hunger Games" clone. In fact, it might be too much of a clone at certain points and that makes it 4 rather than 5 stars. It is still worth reading if you miss you some Katniss. ( )

This is an excellent story. One out self discovery, personal choices, leadership and making your own future. Wrapped up in an excellent science fiction plot with some rather interesting twists and discoveries.

Now I need to find a copy of "Alight" the next step in our heroes journey. ( )

excited to see where the series goes. :) ( )

Having been quite a fan of Sigler's virus/infected series of books I was interested when I saw he was branching out into the genre of young adult.

This book, like Sigler's others, keeps you glued to the pages, as the story commenced little detail by little detail is revealed leaving you with the desire to read just a bit more each time you think you'll stop.

This is the first book in a trilogy and I'm looking forward to the other two based on how this one went. ( )

So I got a free advance copy of this book, at Emerald City ComiCon. I won't post spoilers, since there's a note at the end where the author asks us not to - but you really don't want to be spoiled, trust me. What you do need, however, is to read this book!!

There's still some things I didn't understand, but then I'm not sure the main character does either, so we're probably not meant to? The symbols and some of the things in the rooms... Anyway!

I like the rhythm of the novel - the "speed" at which you discover things, and find out what's going on. It kept me interested and curious and looking forward to the ending. The ending isn't quite what I expected though I did figure it out before I got to the last chapter by far. It's a pretty cool idea!

It's hard to say more without giving things away... I know the book isn't readily available yet, but when it is, you should do yourself a favor and pick it up - it's really worth it! ( )

fairly good character development but no foundation so it is directionless - fair syfy basis with some room for further development but overall I found myself only barely engaged.
wont read more b author ( )

Alive- The Generations Trilogy #1....

Imagine waking up in a dark, sealed coffin with your arms and legs secured and you have no idea who you are or where you are! Well that's what happened to a group of teenagers in this book. It freaks me out just thinking about it. This story was so good! It's one of those books though where I don't want to give too much away because you really need to just read it and experience it yourself. I will say though that it had me guessing from the first page and everywhere that I thought the story might lead was totally wrong. It was very different from what I was expecting and that's one of the things I loved about it! I was surprised until the very end. I have no idea where the next book in the series, Alight, will lead but I can't wait to see what shocks & twists Sigler has in store next. ( )

Alive by Scott Sigler is a very highly recommended first book in a new YA trilogy.

When she wakes up because something is biting her on the back of her neck all she knows is that it's her 12th birthday and it isn't right. Slowly it becomes clear that she is not in her bed at home, trying to catch a few more minutes of sleep. She is in some kind of box, or coffin, and it is pitch black. Her arms and legs are restrained. She has to struggle to stop whatever is biting her, escape and get out. When she does get out, she sees she is in a room with other coffins and she's wearing too tight clothes. Her coffin is marked M. Savage, which she guesses is her name, Em. When Em hears shouts coming from inside one of the other coffins, she manages to get another girl out, Springate. Together they get more children out, boys and girls.

Today is the 12th birthday for all of them - but they don't look 12. They look older, stronger, maybe 18 or older. How did they suddenly get these adult bodies? Together these children must find food and water while trying to figure out where they are and what has happened to the adults. With bones, skeletons, and the gruesome evidence that some kind of battle took place in the past that resulted in a great loss of life, what could possibly have happened to the adults? And where are they? And why can't they easily remember things they should know?

Em is chosen as the leader of their small group and they set off to try and find food, water and help. Her small group encounters another group of children/adults and the two groups join together to seek their common goals: sustenance, information, and answers.

I've enjoyed Sigler's books in the past and was anxious to see what he did with a YA book. Sigler has already proven he's an excellent writer, and that is the case in Alive too. The horror/terror found in his other novels is certainly present. This time there is no strong language, but there are plenty of horrific sights and certainly terror. Sigler writes Alive using short sentences and in a first person narrative, which made sense to me on several levels. These are children waking up in adult bodies and they have found themselves in uncertain circumstances. It makes sense that thoughts and sentences are abbreviated as they puzzle their way through this unknown habitat. I also appreciate the immediacy of the first person tense because it helps create tension.

The best recommendation, though, is that I'm anxious to read book two and find out what happens to this group next. I've avoided reading and reviewing a lot of the YA fiction out there because I know there are plenty of reviewers who enjoy YA. Anything Scott Sigler writes is worth making an exception for because I know several things are true: he will present a well-paced and carefully plotted novel with some twists and surprises, and the characters in his novels will also be well-development and show growth. Win/win.

Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Del Rey via Netgalley for review purposes.
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There are lots of other reviews written here so I'm not going into much detail.
A girl wakes on her twelfth birthday, or so she thinks, along with lots of others, with no knowledge of where she is or who she is. ( )

It was fine, written for an audience younger than me so they might give it a much higher rating and more enthusiastic review. However, I do think it can be read as a stand-alone which is nice. Is there more of the story still to come? Of course, but I didn't feel like there were oodles of hanging threads. ( )

*I listened to this podcasted book for my own enjoyment.

They wake in clothes that are to small for them. They don't know their names, other than the name on their 'coffins'. They don't remember their parents or much of anything else from their past. Lost inside a building they don't know, full of death and secrets. They need to find food and water and to get out of here. What they learn far surpasses what they could have imagined and they will have to fight for their freedom.

I listened to this story in podcasted story form on the authors site. Scott shared, in episode form, the audiobook with us week by week. Emma Galvin is the voice of Em Savage. The panic in Em's voice at the beginning is vocalized wonderfully, rising and falling in volume and speed with Em's growing anxiety. There is a special voice that Emma does and she has a different sound to it, as it should. She makes different sounds to her voice for a few occasions, important pieces. Emma also has the personality of the characters as they become dominate in them through the book, growing from the time they wake unsure to the time they are who they are. I like this variation, and it fits with when we learn the truth of that voice. Well played by the narrator along with the story.

This story caught my attention for the moment it started with the coffin and how the kids are bound to it inside. The strange all around the place and holes in the kids memories. I looked forward to answers while anxious for the characters waking and breaking free. Something terrible happened here with what the characters find, yet they were lucky to be spared. But what happened?

Imagine, young children around the age of ten in a twenty year old body. Physically stronger with a child's thinking and naive views. This is trouble in the making with the hormones and easy tempers rising. They don't remember much, but believe today is their 12th birthday. Yet they are in bodies of 19-20 year old. They do have their instincts and personalities that peek through with each reaction and circumstance that they cross.

The kids express from the moment they escape their 'coffins' different beliefs in the way things should be done or handled. Yet they don't know much either. They are scared, hungry, thirsty, and lost. All they want are their parents or grown-ups to help them. But they aren't around. I feel bad for these young minds, having to go through all they are and alone to figure it out.

Em Savage. Em is our MC. She's not the strongest physically and doesn't know everything, but the way she is makes her a leader. She is determined from the moment she wakes. I do like her realizations. She knows a leader shouldn't hit people and it's okay to challenge the leader in a way that's talking. Her thinking is right.

Strange thing for me with this book. It's not high action but I'm still drawn to the story. It's about survival. These children work to survive either by finding a way out or finding what they need, food and water. Each holding a different skill set and knowledge. If I read the book, I might have been a bit bored at the beginning of the book, but then things start twisting, turning, and showing up. All the sudden there is a heavy episode, or few chapters, that hits you as you didn't expect all that. More and more mysteries to this place. I'm dying to know where they are, why, and what happened. Suspenseful in that token.

The things these youngsters go through, 'born' at age 12, ages them by years. They no longer feel as the young naive children they started as. And are seeing things in their own ways and growing to their own ways of doing things.

Such an adventure here. Now I'm curious what comes with where they are heading next in life. ( )

Actual Rating: 2.5

I am conflicted about how I feel about this book. On the one hand, I really enjoyed feeling the confusion and loss that our MC feels in the beginning. I liked the descriptive setting. It reminded me of a cross between an abandoned Star Trek ship and ancient Mayan ruins. I could see images of the setting clearly in my head. On the other hand, I disliked the majority of the characters. As the plot continued on I understood why they were that way, but I still did not like them. I think the only character I didn't mind was Spingate. I also felt we had to wait so long to figure anything out. Almost 80% of the book passes before we get any knowledge as to who, what, when, where, and why. So while I enjoyed the confusion at first, I felt frustrated that there was no concrete evidence to direct the ideas forming in my head. For me, there was just not enough development and action. There seemed to be more time spent on arguing/thinking over who should be leader (and which boy our MC should like more) than actual action being taken. ( )

I've read a few of Scott Sigler's books, and I believe this was his first foray into YA.

Likes: --strong(ish) female lead.
--quite the interesting storyline (I felt once I got roughly 2/3 into the book, it really started taking shape)

Slight dislike: --it seemed to take a while to really become an original premise.

I also have to give him credit: previous books by the author were unquestionably for adults. I believe a mature 14 could easily read and enjoy this book.

It is the start of a trilogy, but for now, I believe I'll just leave it at book one. It's a sold 3 star YA read. ( )

ABR's original ALIVE audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.

First off, Emma Galvin does a wonderful job with the audiobook narration and I may have to grab the Divergent series for just that reason.

So, here we go. Alive begins with a girl who awakens to find herself locked inside of a coffin. No idea who she is, where she is or why she is in this predicament. She struggles to break free, and when she finally does, she realizes that she is not alone. Among her are several other closed coffins, all coated in dust…and bone. A noise startles her and she realizes that some of these coffins contain other people; kids her own age and who just so happen to have the same birthday as her: today. But why is that tid-bit of information the only thing they can remember?

After freeing a few other “survivors”, she comes to realize that names are engraved on each and every coffin. She looks to hers: M. Savage. Since she was the first to awaken and help free the others, she ends up being in charge. They must leave this room. They must find food, water…an adult. But what awaits them outside of this room, nothing could have prepared them: a hallway of bones, dust, and flesh but no people. At least, none that are still living…

M. is determined to lead, though she is not the biggest and baddest of the survivors. For some strange reason, the others follow her and fight for survival. What is at the end of this hallway? Will I find my parents? Food? Water? Will I find out why I was in that coffin? Will I find out just who I am?

There are a lot of people who compare this book to ‘The Maze Runner’, especially the beginning scenario. But, to be honest, even if there are some comparisons that can be made, Alive stands on its own. And don’t forget that. The action, though there is little, is enough to keep the blood pumping. The story itself is a good one as the runt of the group becomes the leader, though she has no confidence at all.

The only issues I had with the book were: A. It could’ve been a little bit shorter. There are a lot of scenes where the survivors are just walking around and M. has to describe, in detail, every single thing that is seen/head/touched/etc. B. I didn’t particularly love the Twilight-esque ‘Team Jacob vs Team Edward’ scenario that was going on with her “love” interests. I felt as if there was too much back and forth and it detracted from the story a bit.

Overall, I will be continuing this series, especially for the narration. On top of that, I will definitely be reading more of Sigler’s books because the dude can write.

Audiobook purchased for review by the ABR. ( )

Review from TenaciousReader: http://www.tenaciousreader.com/2015/07/06/review-alive-by-scott-sigler/

Alive is a hard one to review. I really hate spoilers and try to be quite conservative in how much information I put in my reviews. So a book that begins with mysterious circumstances, where the story is really revealed in a way where the characters are discovering at the same time as the reader is a book where I really can’t comment much on events. If it’s not in the blurb, I am considering it off limits. So, as you can gather form the blurb, a group of teenagers awaken with no memories of who they are or how they got to this place. There’s no one “in charge”, there is no one to help or answer questions. These kids are completely on their own as they try to determine who they are, where they are, and why they are unable to remember anything. It is a tense and intriguing opening, you can’t help but want the answers to these questions.

The style of narration took a little bit for me to adjust to. The narration begins with a 12 year old girl awakening to a confusing and disturbing situation. It’s different, and I noticed the style in the beginning and was a bit unsure what I would think of reading the book. But honestly after about 20 pages or so I had become accustomed to it. I don’t think dialog or prose is a strength in this book, but it’s not really a deterrent either.

I wanted to read this book because the blurb compared it to The Hunger Games and Red Rising. Those are both series that I find hard to put down, they have that addictive, page turning quality, and the put the reader at the edge of their seat with tension and anticipation. Honestly, I just didn’t experience that with this book. It wasn’t bad by any means, but I wouldn’t put it in quite the category as those books. I never felt close to the same attachment with any of these characters as I did for Katniss and Darro, if anything I wish the author had some how created a stronger bond between the reader and the characters. There was so much emphasis on the mystery of what was going on, I think character development wound up suffering a bit.

I did like the main character, a girl who quickly rises to become a leader. (I always like girls who are leaders). But I can’t say I completely understand why she was catapulted to leader status. I get some of the reasons, but also never felt convinced that it was compelling enough to make the decision so clear cut for the others around her. I also enjoyed the tension and mystery as these teens struggle to survive, organize and find out where they are and how to get out. There are some interesting dynamics, and while I may not have been as attached to some of the characters as I might have preferred, that does not mean they were not interesting.

So overall, I did feel entertained by the story, but also never felt as attached to or connected with the characters as I would have liked. If you are looking for a book with a mysterious environment, where characters have to organize against an unknown threat and find a way for survival in a completely foreign environment, then give this a try. If you are looking for a strong character driven book, this might not be the best fit for you.
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This is one trippy book. By turns downright frightening, the plight of these teens will keep a reader interested. Unfortunately, it takes an odd turn towards the end that changes the entire story. What should make the story more fascinating ends up making it just another science fiction novel. By the end, readers will no longer care about the survivors and will instead struggle to figure out the convoluted story behind their current plight. It is not worth expending reading time on this odd story.

I would like to thank Del Rey & NetGalley for granting me a copy of this e-ARC to read in exchange for an honest review. Though I received this e-book for free that in no way impacts my review.

Goodreads Teaser:
"From New York Times bestselling author Scott Sigler comes something utterly new: a gripping sci-fi adventure trilogy in the vein of The Hunger Games, Divergent, and The Maze Runner. A group of young adults awake in a mysterious enclosed space with no knowledge of who they are or how they got there…and an indomitable young woman must lead them not only to answers but to survival.

A young woman awakes trapped in an enclosed space. She has no idea who she is or how she got there. With only her instincts to guide her, she escapes her own confinement—and finds she’s not alone. She frees the others in the room and leads them into a corridor filled with the remains of a war long past. The farther these survivors travel, the worse are the horrors they confront. And as they slowly come to understand what this prison is, they realize that the worst and strangest possibilities they could have imagined don’t even come close to the truth."

This interesting mix of the dystopian genre combined with futuristic science fiction creates a story that is both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. While part of me wants to relate this tale to the iconic "Lord of the Flies," that would be doing this story a grave injustice. For there is only one small, small portion that speaks like the "Lord of the Flies." There are layers upon layers going on throughout this story, and the longer I am away from finishing it the more details I seem to discover - details that were there all along just waiting their turn to float to the surface for examination.

The characters are all rather unique, and each seemed to belong to a certain smaller group within the larger tribe that they created. While we were shown who the groups were, and part of what made them unique, we were still left with some unanswered mysteries. Or maybe they were answered and I missed the explanation. In fact I rather suspect that is the case, for at one point I thought I'd figured it out, but then I got sidetracked and also thought that my answers were too easy and stereotypical.

Experiencing the drama along with the characters was intense, as gratifying as was watching their personal growth. In many ways these kids represent all of us at one point or another in our lives. The quest for self continues our entire lives, but never is it as intense as during puberty/teen years. This is cleanly expressed throughout the story, shown via many different situations, yet never felt overplayed to me.

While the larger mystery was answered rather early on for me, the way Sigler handles the smaller mysteries and personal dramas is what made this book fly for me. His character development is spot on, and left me wanting more information about each of the main players, as well as some of the secondary characters. This may have been my first book by Scott Sigler, but it certainly won't be my last. ( )

I received this arc from goodreads first to read
I don't like book comparisons so I rarely make them, but this novel took me way back to The Lord of the Flies. (My husband made the same comparison while he was reading it.) I was drawn in from the first page. There's this mystery to it that grabbed me and didn't let go. This is one of those novels that I would find myself thinking about while I wasn't reading it. The pacing is pretty quick and there's quite a bit of action to keep the pages turning rapidly. There is a perfect balance and it read really smooth. I am a character person and this novel didn't disappoint. There are a lot of characters but it's not overwhelming. It's written in a way that I was able to get to know the characters as they got to know themselves, and that is a lot of fun. I was able to get invested in what was happening to the characters, which for me is the best part of a novel. This was my first experience with the author even though I have several of his books. It was a great way to start with the author/reader relationship. I will definitely recommend this novel and already have. My husband read it shortly after me and he really enjoyed it also. ( )