The Denounced: Book 1 A Grey Sun

This story instantly hooked me. It felt like a cross between Divergent, and the Maze Runner. It was action packed and follows the story of a teenage boy, Ned, caught in the corruption of his Secular government and sentenced to death. He's "saved" at the last second, but his death sentence still hangs over him. Ned has had a rough road to where he ends up, which allows the reader to see the unspoken rules in the situations he finds himself in. I enjoyed the fast pace and Ned is a good character to share headspace with. He may be more of an outsider in his communities but the reader is familiar with his backstory and feels an emotional connection with him. It was a short read and I'm excited to see what happens next. Overall, a great start to a promising new YA series.

I enjoyed reading this one! It’s similar to other dystopian novels (because there’s not much you can change about the basic plot) but pretty unique in its delivery of the dystopian world as a whole.

Sixteen-year-old Ned has been sentenced to death for being one of The Denounced. At the very last minute (and I do mean last), he is rescued from the gallows. He is taken to some sort of training camp where he and other teenagers are being trained although it is never made clear for what. The kids are divided into groups or pods and must work together to get through all of the tests they are subjected to. There are fifteen pods and Ned is made the head of the last one. This is unfortunate for several reasons: as an orphan, he has learned that being invisible is the safest place to be and he has already made an enemy of the chief trainer and his pod is not very good at cooperating, especially with him. This last is very important because cooperation is necessary if they are to make it through the training and failure is not an option – it is deadly.

A Grey Sun is the first in The Denounced YA series by author SJ Sherwood and it would be impossible not to compare it to series like The Hunger Games or The Divergent series. Fortunately, the story has enough going on to make the comparisons not necessarily a bad thing. There’s plenty of action and interesting characters. It’s hard not to like Ned or root for his pod to succeed and it is fast paced enough to keep the story moving and the reader involved.

I did find Ned’s musings about the other members of the pod a bit distracting at times especially as it seemed to change from page to page as did the behaviour of the kids. Still, I found the book very enjoyable and hard to put down despite this. The ending was satisfying - unlike too many dystopian series, it opens the story to further books while bringing closure to this one. A good beginning to the series and I look forward to the next book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Cameron Publicity and marketing Ltd for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

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"In less than an hour my life will end."

Thus begins THE GREY SUN, the first book in THE DENOUNCED TRILOGY.

I dare anyone to read that opening line and not be drawn into this book.

Who is this person that will die within an hour? What is happening? How does the person know he or she is going to die? Is this person a male or a female? How old are they? What is the reason they are going to die? Are they sick? How are they going to die? Is it a natural death? Is it murder? Who is going to kill him/her? Why? How does he/she know they are going to die? How do they know when they are going to die?

All these questions flash through the readers mind, and all of them (and more) are prompted from a sentence containing a mere nine words.

As we read a bit further, some of our questions begin to be answered, but each answer only spawns more questions, piques more curiosity and sucks the reader further into the story. The ability to achieve this is the mark of a talented author.

I love books that draw my attention immediately, and more importantly, are able to maintain my attention page after page. THE GREY SUN does exactly that.

It is difficult to believe that this is author S.J. Sherwood's first ever attempt at writing Young Adult Fiction. He writes with the perfect voice for young adult audiences. In fact, if you were unaware of the above fact, you would think he has been writing fiction for teens for years.

Sixteen year old Ned is a character that will appeal to both teenage boys and teen girls. The guys will look up to him as a smart, tough protagonist that they would want to be friends with, young women will also look up to him, but they will also want him to be their new book-boyfriend.

How can a normal, red-blooded young woman not want to soothe Ned's tortured soul and show him that he doesn't need to be alone in the world any more? Add to that the fact that he would make an awesome protector and is both intelligent and resourceful, and you have the perfect recipe for a YA heartthrob.

Don't let what I wrote above to take anything away from the story itself. Yes, Ned is "hot," but that is only one tiny part of this tale.

The Dystopian world that S.J. Sherwood has imagined is revealed in small snippets and readers learn about Ned's world as he learns about it. Although there is a resolution at the end of this book, there are also many unanswered questions which I am excited to find out the answers to. For some reason I do not feel cheated, even though I did not receive all the answers. Leaving questions unanswered without angering your readers is a difficult task to achieve, but this author somehow makes it seem easy.

I have read literally hundreds of Dystopian novels, for both Young Adult and Adult readers and this reality that S.J. Sherwood has created is one I will not forget. I think that part of the reason why I feel this way is because there is still so much to learn about Ned's world. The possibilities are endless. I rate this book as 4 out of 5 Stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Denounced: A Grey Sun was a really fun read full of action and intensity following a boy who will do everything he can to survive. Ned and his pod of five get into a lot of sticky situations that strain their relationship and wills to survive.

What I loved most about this book was how everyone’s personalities were a huge part of how well they worked together (which wasn’t very well in Ned’s case). It was interesting to see not only outsiders trying to bring their pod down, but also their own emotions causing rifts between them. Seeing their dynamics and how they change throughout the novel was really cool and unique.

A lot of the content in this novel was very training intensive, but at the same time it added to the suspense of what is going to happen later that they all need so much training for. That mixed in with injuries and doubt adds to the wonder of if they are going to be able to pull together or if they are going to be torn apart.

The Denounced is an action packed story sure to make you question what is going on and how they will ever escape. Read on for a wild ride you do not want to miss!

I wanted to say that this book was not what I expected In a good way. When I started reading I couldn't put it down. Something about Ned made me realize he is someone I can kind of relate to.

S.J. Sherwood I really enjoyed every detail of this book. I loved the characters with their weaknesses and strengths. I found that they each had their own story to tell as being one of The Denounced.

Overall, The Denounced: Book 1 The Grey Sun gives me hope in what kind of dystopic world that Ned is living. Also I am super excited for the second book.

Book Review
Title: The Denounced Book 1: A Grey Sun
Author: S.J. Sherwood
Genre: Sci-Fi/Action/Dystopian
Rating: ****
Review: The opening to the Denounced was great, we are introduced to Ned who lives in a Secular world who has been wrongly convicted of being a Denounced and has been sentenced to death. The Denounced are a group of people who want to live in a non-Secular world and Ned has been forced to realise that not everything in the world is right or just. As he heads to his execution about to be hung he is saved by a mysterious figure who transports him to a different location where he is drugged and then transported again. When they finally stop Ned realises all the denounced rescued have similar physical characteristics, they are all strong, tall and well built for their ages and there are told they are about to meet their mother, but Ned is confused as his mother has been dead for years.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel the 90-denounced rescued are told that Ilse is their new mother and they are her children and she rambles on about power, graduation and several other things Ned doesn’t understand. However, the children are soon split into groups called Pods with a head of each. Ned is paired with a boy and girl in the same court as him for execution as he is appointed Head of Pod 15. Having known the dark side of the system Ned is immediately looking for allies and is glad to have Rasa and Spencer as part of his pod, but this new home isn’t going to be nice or easy for them they are going to be trained for something. The people in pod 15 are a strange bunch from all over the world New York, Paris, Tokyo, Mexico City, London and St. Petersburg and while Ned is glad to have most of them he is very wary of Rasa as she is a true denounced while he knows there are other innocents like him. After eating they are all lead out by Trainers, to their new dormitories which are more like cells. On their first night Spencer, Diego and Kuro attempt to escape after Kuro lifted one of the guards’ electronic watches but Pod 8 also have the same idea breaking down their down and setting off the alarm. As the boys had not got far Ned urges them back into their room before any are caught by the guards although it is a really close call with Kuro.
As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, Ned soon realises he is going to have to use all his wit and intelligence to survive especially after pod 8 was hanged for trying to escape. This is made even more horrifying when a first aid kit is found, and it belongs to Diego, so Ned starts a fight with Spencer as a distraction. Out of the 5 Ned and Rasa are the smart ones, Kuro is average, but Chantel and Diego are the weak links. After being dragged away from the fight Ned is taken to see Ilse who has the watch that Kuro stole, and Rasa threw away during the commotion of the break out. Ilse reveals that Ned stands as a General-to-be with four others and could do well in this military school if he learns the rules. After returning Chantel tells him that someone must be lashed for the fight and Ned is looking like the one who will take it but in doing so he stamps his authority on the group.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, the training begins and surprisingly Ned is bottom of his pod and is left to the wolves so in retaliation he deliberately riles up the group and explains that they need to work together to survive, however, Kuro is of the opinion they will end up like 8. The social hierarchy of this novel really reminded me of the Hunger Games and it is just as gripping. When the physical trials begin the team are learning to work together without shouting at each other or trying to kill each other but they are still distrustful of each other despite knowing that a lot of them are claiming they are innocent just like Ned.
As we cross into the second half of the novel, the pods complete phase one of whatever Ilse’s plan is but pod 15 is lowest in the rankings and Ned is catching on that all might not be as it seems. He and Rasa tells the others to get a shot at real freedom they need to stop relying on Ilse for everything and move themselves up in the rankings to get a shot. Kuro and Ned also voice the idea that they should make an escape plan but one that might work rather than the spur of the moment escape performed at the beginning of the novel.
As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, Ned’s pod realises they can no longer pretend to be a team they have to be a team and start working on it. Rasa also tells Ned there is a camera and possibly microphone placed in their pod but rather than surveying the whole pod it is solely focused on Ned. This makes sense as Ilse has already taken quite a keen interest in Ned as well as a few other of her students. We follow the various groups through the next stages of training where pod 15 slowly rises from last to 2nd with only 1 point separating them and pod 1. After this grading pods 1, 9 and 15 are taken away and told they are now going to war.
As we cross into the final section of the novel, the top 3 teams are released for a literal game of cat and mouse with the other teams, but Ned knows even if they get to an exit point they won’t be free. He knows that this is an experiment and they aren’t the first test subjects as everything is too polished for that so he and the rest of pod 15 need to find a way out and while they must kill others to get there they eventually make it outside, but I have a feeling that this is only the beginning of their troubles rather than the end. Overall, the Denounced has a lot of similar vibes to those in the Hunger Games, the Maze Runner and Divergent but it is a lot shorter meaning the pace is kept fast and action and tension high. I also found the characters to be very relatable and the varying personalities and cultures present also make the novel quite diverse. Highly recommended for fans of the Hunger Games and Divergent.

First of all, I received an electronic galley of this book to review, however I also received a signed hardcopy from the author for an honest review and it was one of the best times I've had recently. Reading a hardcopy book is priceless! (thank you very much S.J. Sherwood!).

Second, while it took me a while to get into this book (I read two chapters in about two months) once I focused on it, I found it to be so engrossing that I finished it in four hours.

Orphaned and abandoned (by his sister) 'Denounced' sixteen-year-old Ned grew up in at least six homes, learning defense mechanisms that may/may not be his saving grace when he finds himself saved from the hangman's noose and placed in yet another 'home'. He is placed as a leader of five other 'Denounced' teens and it's his job to keep them alive despite the warring personalities.

This is one of the books that make me wonder about the author -- Ned's character is so true and analytical that I can't help relate to him as a human being. Measuring others in his group, trying to figure them out, while at the same time trying to figure out what is going around them, why they were chosen to be saved, what's ahead...I stopped to think how Ned would view me if I were in his 'Pod'.

This book reminded me a bit of the Maze Runner series crossed slightly with Hunger Games, but it stands so well on its own. I can't wait to read the second book to see how the story unfolds.

The only downside is that sometimes I got so caught up in Ned, that I couldn't follow the description of his world - secular vs non-secular, denounced vs doubters, and while I have an idea of why the title is 'a grey sun', it doesn't jump out at me immediately.

I would definitely recommend this book to fans of teen dystopian novels (no matter how old you are!).

The Denounced is a new series by author S.J. Sherwood, the first book being "A Grey Sun". Following Ned, a sixteen year old orphan who's spent more of his life than he'd like in the system, he's tough as nails and knows how to survive. That being said, the beginning of the book is his execution day. Named one of the denounced, someone who has beliefs other than the ones that the government has and has claimed he wants to live in the non secular world, he has less than an hour left to live the life he hasn't even begun. He's already eaten his last meal, a burger, chips, and a chocolate pudding, some of which he's never even eaten before. The thing is, he's innocent.

The world he lives in is a grey dystopia, filled with flaws and crooked laws, and everyone has a number. To be named a denounced person, there only needs to be word that you've done what they say. You get a trial, but hardly ever are people proven not guilty. And then they're executed and forgotten about, showed live on tv to make an example of you, and then you're never talked about again. That is, until Ned's execution day has an unexpected bump. Once he's been hung, someone cuts him down and kidnaps him. He's enrolled in a prestigious cult-like military school and put into a family pod with five other teenagers in the exact same place as him. And they're competing to graduate.

This book was a lot different than I expected it to be. I thought, oh another dystopia focused on technology, and boy was I wrong. This book puts very little of the world into perspective. You know what Ned knows, and that's that. And he's very young, so what he knows isn't a lot. I'm really interested in learning more about it in the next book. This being the first book I've read from the author, I'm really happy with the story and can't wait to see what they come up with after this. The characters are everything I wanted them to be, and you could really see them adapt to their surroundings and grow to what they needed to be.

I think what this book is really about is working as a team when you don't know how to. The characters in this book need to in order to survive, so although they have problems with it, they're able to when it really matters. I really enjoyed reading this book, and I can't wait to see them continue to grow in the next book.

Thanks for reading!
(Radioactivebookreviews.wordpress.com)

I want to start by saying I actually read the second book in this series prior to the first and was utterly disappointed. However, this book had the opposite effect. While, I still have some genuinely negative feelings about the second book in the series, this book (the first) has me anxiously awaiting book three.

This story takes place in the future where the world is divided by secular and non-secular quadrants. In Ned Hunter's quadrant it is punishable by death to denounce the way of living or higher ups. This is precisely what he has been accused of. Suddenly he finds himself grouped off in to a pod of six other denounced in a training camp. He now goes by Ned and a number that replaces his last name. He's both a prisoner and a trainee. It's unknown why or what they are training for. The one thing he does know is that he is innocent and does not belong there. To survive he must rely become a team with five denounced and overcome whatever is thrown at him.

This story holds a lot of action. It's got a great plot that doesn't disappoint. The characters are all unique in their own way with different personalities as well as physical looks. This book is clearly well thought out and this series is going somewhere good. I couldn't be more excited for the third book in this series.

While almost everything in this book is very well described, I would love to see better scene description in the third book. However, because I have read book two I know that the author does write beautiful scene descriptions where you can imagine the places Ned finds himself.

In closing, this book is wonderful. While it lacks the one thing that I enjoyed most about the second book in this series, it has everything book two is missing. I am hoping these positives will be tied together in the third book. If so, it will easily be one of my favorite reads. I do suggest reading book one and two despite what I have previously said about it because book three has the potential to be greater than either book before it.

As a note on the author SJ Sherwood, I believe he has the ability to make bestselling novels. His well thought out plots are what makes great books. I'm excited to read not only book three of this series, but whatever writing comes after.

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for this honest review.

The story of Ned is spectacular, like some kind of Hunger Games or The Maze Runner, but slightly different. It implies a lot of mistery and intense scenes, great written. It is a book you must read.