Maz, who attends the Albion House Academy ( a reality-TV school) will do anything for her brother Kyle. The world is plagued by superbugs and when Kyle catches one, she will do anything to help him. by earning enough life-chances for his treatment, through meeting a series of challenges.
When accepted. to work with Manticore on a challenge, she realises that she has a dreadful choice to make.
If you enjoyed 'The Hunger Games' you will enjoy this book as Maz battles to help her brother. I found the world that Litty Williams created was intriguing and. sadly believable. Here's hoping for a follow-up.

This was a great, though dark and scary dystopian read for YA.

I would say it is suitable from age 11 up , though it is thought provoking and requires some maturity to really appreciate what issues the author is raising.

Set in a near future, hopefully not too near, this is a story about a world where all immigration has been almost blocked and anyone who has children with those from beyond British shores are classed as a sub-citizen with limited food and medical issues - all of which is set against the backdrop of a superbug which medicine cannot always beat.

Everything has to be paid for with Life chances, which are easier to earn by those with FullGen status (think pure blood!), though some are born to privilege and really don’t need to worry about them!

Maz, the protagonist, has a Liverpudlian accent and I found reading her accent quite jarring and naive sounding when she was with her family. However, she loses this when she is at school which is where the majority of the book takes place. Her relationships with her school mates are interspersed and develop well. The book also has mention of Maz’s father’s mysterious death, which makes him seem a traitor to the state, though the full details are never revealed.

This book definitely feels like it has a follow up volume to come, and I would definitely be keen to read it!

Imagine a world where superbugs threaten the safety of society and climate change has made refugees of people from southern Europe; where the chance to succeed in life is dependent on a mixture of your exam success and the number of online followers you have.

Whilst this story is set in 'NewBrit' in 2042, it's not really so different in many ways from the world British teenagers are growing up in today.

I really enjoyed this and devoured it in a weekend. Think Hunger Games but set in a school with elements of superbugs, refugees, anxiety, exam pressure... When I put it like that it sounds like it would be depressing and heavy-going but not at all! As I approached the end I began to dread that the story might not be resolved and I might have to wait for a sequel; however, it both ended satisfyingly and left room for more - which I would love!

Maz is a 15+ student at Albion House Academy and the year is 2042. The setting is the south coast of Britain - but this is not Britain as we know it - this is NewBrit and the students are sorted into categories based on their exam scores and 'GovPage' following - a kind of national Instagram. The public are being invited to vote for the best of the NewBrit youth - and the prize is 500 Life Chances - a currency that you gain through outstanding performance and loyalty to NewBrit. Maz has to win more Life Chances if she is to be able to get the medicine her little brother so desperately needs. But Maz is not a Winner; she's not event a Nerd or an Influencer; she's a Loser with poor exam grades and few followers.

Then Maz is chosen for a special project to work with the 'cligros' (climate refugees) at the nearby COMPASS centre. If she does well, she could win 1000 life chances, and save her brother - but what will it cost...?

I will definitely be purchasing this for my school library.

Very grateful to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC.

Set in the future, this speculative story features some elements all too familiar in the way that our current social systems are evolving.

In a time peopled by Winners and Losers, one young girl who falls decidedly into the latter category finds herself forced to take part in a competition due to brutal circumstances, in the hope of helping her brother, who needs medical attention that the family cannot afford.

Betrayal and additional crises lead to a further upping of the ante, leaving Maz desperate to succeed. Can she win this battle? An entertaining read, this gets 3.5 stars.

This was a hard one to rate, as due to the blurb I was expecting something slightly different; I must admit, I picked it up thinking it would feature some kind of hunger games-esq dystopian challenges, rather than academic exams and influencer points via social media. This may mean that I'm perhaps not the right audience for the book, so I've tried to give a review that is fair of the story, as overall it had an interesting premise and is written well.

People's choice features a dystopian world where superbugs means that medicinial care is no longer as readily avaliable, and people have to use Life changes (a kind of currency gained by academic or influencer ventures as a child) to purchase daily essentials. This is a really interesting premise; with the use of antibiotics being used improperly on the rise, the idea of "superbugs" is something that can very much become a future reality, and I love this idea taken to the extreme.

This book also highlights some of the other inadequecies we suffer in today's times e.g. avaliablity of medicine inequality, and people being treated differently for their backgrounds. Whereas I found some made up terminology unfavourable - 'cligros' really bugged me for example, I did think the author did a really good job of highlighting the unfairness, and difficult situations people live through, albeit in her own dystopian setting. I think this book would be a great young adult read, to get young adults thinking about how unjust the world can be, and what lengths they'd go to to change this. Maz (the main character) is a good role model, who sees this injustice and sets out to make a difference. She is challenged by her own particular goals e.g. saving her brother's life, versus wanting to help people as an entirity e.g. the "cligros".

It's a book that raises a lot of questions, and really gets you thinking. It reminded me a bit of Noughts and Crosses where it is a thought-provoking novel that forces you to question themes of racism, prejudice and inequality in an unique dystopian setting. It's a 3 star read for me, but a 5 star read in the right hands, so i've put it neatly at 4 and hope this is fair.

I thought I'd give this booked aimed for YAs a try seeing as I have enjoyed previous books like these despite being no where near the age demographic, as well as other reviewers making similarities to The Hunger Games.
Sadly, I didn't get on too well with this story. I think as due to Hunger Games being mentioned previously, I was expecting alot more action and excitement. This does come, but not until about 80% through. I did almost give up a few times as I just felt bored to be honest. Maybe again as I'm not the age it was written for.
I will say though as it opened my eyes up and scares the life out of me that it does seem possible that the future of the UK could end up this way, grading people and determining what they're entitled to depending on their class, it's an awful thought but is this the way we are heading?... Hearing so called respectable people taking about "dirty cligros" basically immigrants, truly awful.
I will give a 3 star rating for a great idea though.
Many thanks #NetGalley for the advanced copy

This book was an interesting premise of dystopian future Britain which pulled on some real life events and attitudes and showing the potential end of the situations. The use of superbugs as a focal point as well as extreme anti immigration were interesting to see and certainly show what could happen if things continue as they are.

The language was very basic showing that it's very much the young end of young adult intended as the audience which I found a bit jarring at the start to get on with. I also found the pop culture references via Will a bit cringy but overall enjoyed the book and the pacing.

The ending was satisfying as whilst there were resolutions there was no unrealistic 'and they all had lemonade ' ending which I don't think would have been true to the story. I also appreciated that the potential romance was hinted at but didn't overtake the book nor did it make the romantic interest act purely out of romantic feelings which a lot of books unfortunately fall into.

I cannot give it 5 stars as I don't think it quite has it for 5 stars but viewing it as a young teenage book and considering the plot I feel 4 stars is a fair rating. Adults who like YA, I don't think this is for you but if you have kids who like The Hunger Games or similar they will definitely enjoy this book.