“Swipe (Swipe #1)” by Evan Angler
Genre: Middle Grade Fiction, Science Fiction, Dystopia
Source: NetGalley in exchange for an honest review [Thank you!]
Summary from Goodreads:
Set in a future North America that is struggling to recover after famine and global war, Swipe follows the lives of three kids caught in the middle of a conflict they didn’t even know existed. United under a charismatic leader, every citizen of the American Union is required to get the Mark on their 13th birthday in order to gain the benefits of citizenship.
The Mark is a tattoo that must be swiped by special scanners for everything from employment to transportation to shopping. It’s almost Logan Langly’s 13th birthday and he knows he should be excited about getting the Mark, but he hasn’t been able to shake the feeling he’s being watched. Not since his sister went to get her Mark five years ago . . . and never came back.
When Logan and his friends discover the truth behind the Mark, will they ever be able to go back to being normal teenagers? Find out in the first book of this exciting series that is Left Behind meets Matched for middle-grade readers.
This book will be released on May 1, 2012.
I don’t know about you but I was immediately drawn in from the summary. Weird technology? Bizarre future? Conspiracies? You know I’m in and I wasn’t disappointed.
The book does share similar characteristics with other science fiction books. I’ve been trying to pick my brain to figure out what book it reminds me of but I still can’t figure it out. Oh well. It’s a good blend of science fiction. It takes the ideas of technology that we’ve seen in other books but makes it its own.
Eh, Logan was okay. He’s a pretty typical protagonist in a MG book. I guess I can’t relate to middle school boys too well. Erin was awesome! She’s very take charge and able to take care of herself. She’s even a computer hacker at 13! That’s pretty cool. Gotta love when authors give a girl some backbone.
The story absolutely drew me in. I have a tendency to be a bit paranoid so I was totally on board with Logan being paranoid. I even started doing double takes around my room when he started finding stuff! The story moves pretty quickly so you’re glued to the book. Very interesting twist at the end but I’m a bit grumpy that it ended that way.
The bottom line? It’s a fun sci-fi book for all ages. It would be a great stepping stone for younger readers who aren’t quite mature enough for the older YA science fiction books out there.
The Cheap Reader 
Very good review, thanks for the recommendation. I always enjoy dystopian fiction and this looks like a great example.
Thanks! I hope you’ll check it out when the book is released.
They get “marks?” Like the devil’s mark thing from the Book of Revelation? And the charismatic leader thing…hm. Kind of neat that it’s a sci-fi version of the biblical end of the world (if that’s what it’s supposed to be, anyway).
No, think more like a price tag tattoo. You can it to go places and buy things. [I’m almost positive it’s kind of similar to a book or movie out there but I can’t think of what it is!]
Great review! I love dystopian stuff. This sounds right up my alley. Another one to add to my TBR pile, darnit! I’d be interested in your thoughts on Net Galley, too. I started checking into it once, but didn’t take it very far.
I hope you check the book out!
This is the only thing I’ve downloaded from NetGalley. For the sake of my TBR pile, I don’t request too much. 🙂 I like what I’ve seen of NetGalley though.