Summary

Two strangers-their destinies entwined-must work together to thwart a terrorist the country never suspected. The Office of Civilian Safety and Defense has guarded the public against the rampant threat of terrorism for the last fifteen years with the full backing of the US government. Their carefully crafted list of Civilian Restrictions means no concerts or sporting events, no travel, no social media, no cash transactions, and no driver's licenses for eighteen-year-olds Tommy and Careen. The OCSD has even outlawed grocery stores, all in the name of safety. Now, there's a new threat-airborne chemical weapons that could be activated at any time. But the OCSD has an antidote: Just three drops a day is all it takes to stay safe. It's a small price to pay for safety. Or is it...

Review

Counteract is a face paced dystopian novel that brings the reader through a world on the brink of destruction. Instead of fixing the problems, a new branch of the government, created to aid with terrorist attempts, give the population a strand of LSD, which makes the citizens hallucinate at the very least. The novel travels through the many characters introduced, each playing a unique role in the plot. The main characters, Tommy and Careen are teenagers caught in the middle of the government scandal.

I really enjoyed this new twist on the dystopian novel, I found the plot to be intriguing. The government, instead of believing this was the best for the nation, knew that the technique they were pursuing to calm the nation was wrong, but it was the easy way out. This was not the case of a novel where the government was confused or mental, they knew the problems they would be starting.

On one hand, the many different point of views aided in the explanation of the current situation of the world, using many sides of the matter to further explain. However, overall, the countless amount of character point of views was overpoweringly distracting. Honestly, much of the time I was unable to follow which character was which because it was quite confusing. I understand the technique that was trying to be employed, but I feel that the plot would have been better delivered with a smaller amount of main characters, potentially three.

I believe that this novel, Counteract by Tracey Lawson sets up a really great series and another novel in the series has a lot of potential. The fast pace keeps the reader interested in the plot and allows a great set up for a continuation in the series.

Reviewed by Rachel Keane

Paperback: 226 pages
Publisher: Buddhapuss Ink LLC; Resistance Series edition (August 6, 2014)

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