INCUBATION (#1) | Laura DiSilverio
Kindle edition | YA | Dystopian | 348 pages
Published 7 April 2016
Bio-chemistry whiz Everly Jax wants one thing: to know who her parents are. Raised with other repo kids in InKubator 9, she has pinned her hopes on Reunion Day, the annual event where sixteen-year-olds can meet or reunite with their parents. When her Reunion Day goes horribly awry, she and her pregnant friend Halla escape the Kube, accompanied by their friend Wyck who has his own reasons for leaving.
In a world where rebuilding the population is critical to national survival, the Pragmatist government licenses all human reproduction, and decides who can–and must–have babies. The trio face feral dog packs, swamp threats, locust swarms, bounty hunters looking for “breeders,” and more dangers as they race to Amerada’s capital to find Halla’s soldier boyfriend before the Prags can repo her baby and force the girls into surrogacy service.
An unexpected encounter with Bulrush, an Underground Railroad for women fleeing to Outposts with their unlicensed babies, puts them in greater peril than ever. Everly must decide what she is willing to sacrifice to learn her biological identity–and deal with the unanticipated consequences of her decisions. – GOODREADS.
I can’t recall where I got this book from, it was either a freebie from Bookbub or a bargain on Amazon. The thing that first caught my attention was the cover. Incubation follows, Everly Jax, a teen girl who lives in a world that has suffered a great plague. Rebuilding and repopulation of the new world is the priority but there are challenges to face. All plant-life and food sources have been decimated by locusts.
Everly lives inside a protective dome that is used to grow food for the survivors. It’s also a centre that’s looking for ways to eradicate the locusts. Research is her talent and she is dedicated to finding a solution under the guide of her mentor.
With the government’s focus being on repopulation, it has taken the path of control. All pregnancies must be authorized, and all babies are taken by the government to be raised and conditioned. The survival of humans is at stake.
When a friend becomes pregnant, Everly faces a dilemma and we watch on as she fights with her heart and her mind. Should they escape so her friend doesn’t have to give up her baby to the state? or should she betray her friend and tell the authorities?
I feel I’m going into too much detail about the plot, so I’ll stop here. But this book has so many facets it’s difficult to just switch them all off. Kidnaps. Rescues. Rebels. Saviors. Enemies. Control. Oppression. Bravery. Loyalty. Engaging characters that battle to overcome the odds.
In this book, the state is definitely in control but I didn’t think it’s oppression was as brutal and violent as other similar reads. It’s a kind of softer dystopian where Government controls are imposed without the hardcore level of state violence.
Good plot. Good pace. Good characters. Although, this year I have tried to steer away from series (as I find that I rarely finish them), hopefully I will get to the others in this one.
S.W. Lothian - Author 
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