Departures
- Downloads：7035
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-26 04:19:12
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：E.J. Wenstrom
- ISBN：B097JN8Z4V
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Rebecca
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I love a good dystopic sci-fi and this was definitely one！！ The characters were very relatable and the world and choices they faced were fascinating。
Danai Christopoulou
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A fast-paced YA dystopian great for fans of UGLIES and DIVERGENT I read this book way too fast and I'm still a bit dizzy from it。 E。 J。 Wenstrom has created a perfectly polished， suffocating world in the Directorate and it was fascinating to see how differently the two sisters， Evie and Gracelyn react to it。 There are serious questions throughout this book about freedom of choice， how we approach mental health and about the value of experiencing pain and happiness。 There's many great side chara A fast-paced YA dystopian great for fans of UGLIES and DIVERGENT I read this book way too fast and I'm still a bit dizzy from it。 E。 J。 Wenstrom has created a perfectly polished， suffocating world in the Directorate and it was fascinating to see how differently the two sisters， Evie and Gracelyn react to it。 There are serious questions throughout this book about freedom of choice， how we approach mental health and about the value of experiencing pain and happiness。 There's many great side characters to love， a found family theme and a sweet romance subplot。 My only complaint？ I need to know what happens next， so here's to hoping a second book comes soon！ 。。。more
Arbys Mom
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Wow， quite the story！ And the ending was totally unexpected。 I really enjoyed this book， despite the dystopian setting。 I’d love more from this world and these characters。
Joshua （ithildins）
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Release Date: 10 August 2021
mjmajik
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I hope this is a series！Raised in an enclosed environment designed to create optimal health， 17 year old Evie and her younger sister Gracelyn struggle with the reality of choice， control and trust after discovering their world might not be as perfect as they thought。 After all the twists and turns of change， the end the story just left me wanting more！I received a free advance copy of this book in trade for an honest review。
Terry Tyler
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I read this book via an ARC from the author， for Rosie Amber's Book Review Team。 The fact that it was free has not affected this honest review。I adored the premise of this book - it is set way into the future， after devastating wars， in a part of the world ruled by the 'Directorate'。 Here， citizens live in environmentally safe domes called Quads， where every aspect of their lives is observed， every move they make controlled by their governors。 To an extent， I saw this situation as a clever take I read this book via an ARC from the author， for Rosie Amber's Book Review Team。 The fact that it was free has not affected this honest review。I adored the premise of this book - it is set way into the future， after devastating wars， in a part of the world ruled by the 'Directorate'。 Here， citizens live in environmentally safe domes called Quads， where every aspect of their lives is observed， every move they make controlled by their governors。 To an extent， I saw this situation as a clever take on a world that could be waiting for us: the mildest physical or mental ill health is to be feared， free speech is not an option and the primary objective is safety for all。 No risk taking， no individuality， no strong ideals to make a stand for。 In the Quads， extremes of emotion are not allowed， and grief is treated with medication - which brings me to the title of the book。 All citizens have their 'departure' （death） date tattooed on their arm。 Many will live for over a century， but others are allowed far less time on this earth。 Evie doesn't know why she is to die at aged seventeen， but， as with every other custom in the Quads， the 'departure' procedure is presented as a kindness; the Directorate wishes to spare the individual any pain or discomfort。Full compliance is essential; any diversion from the official line， from the prescribed behaviour， is not tolerated。 'The Directorate would do whatever was necessary to placate its citizens。 There would be an explanation。 A distraction。 And then life would move forward。 A few might question it all for a bit， but the tug of a content， easy life would ultimately lull them back into line。 Because， I realise， here's the kicker: what most people want is not to trust their government。 It's not to build a better world。 All they want is to be comfortable 。。。 and with a sickening twist to my stomach， I realise that I am one of them。'The problem with Evie's departure ceremony is not only that she doesn't know why she must die when her life has hardly begun。 Her departure doesn't happen as it should。 She lives。 She is one of the few for whom the euthanasia medication doesn't work。The book alternates between the points of view of Evie， as she finds herself outside the Quads in a strange world that isn't supposed to exist， and her sister Gracelynn， who is confused， hurting over the loss of her sister， and beginning to wonder if their lives are based on lies。 The writing itself is clear and effective， and the compelling plot line flows along。 Evie and Gracelynn's discoveries come to light gradually， with truths unravelling at just the right pace。 For the first half of the book， Evie and Gracelynn's personalities were well-defined， very different， but as the action ramps up they become more alike。 This novel is YA， not usually my genre of choice as I have not been a young adult for decades， but I couldn't resist the plot。 I felt this was right for the younger end of the YA range; I can imagine liking it when I was about fourteen but finding it a bit too simplistic when older。I would have liked some sort of explanation about where in the world this was supposed to take place; as this is a couple of hundred years or more into the future， it could be that the author envisions a world in which the countries as we know them no longer exist - fair enough。 There is a little background information， but I would have liked more， and to know how large an area the Quads are supposed to cover， as well as how big they are - I couldn't imagine them。 The only other problems I had with it were a） overuse of the word 'goofy'， and b） the malfunctioning euthanasia process - even now， there exists the means to put people to death quickly and effectively， so it seems unlikely that in a couple of centuries' time they would still be making errors。 However， any books of this genre require some belief suspension here and there， and this didn't bother me too much。 Not as much as all the goofy grins， anyway， or 'Jeeze' being spelled 'Geez' （as an expression of annoyance， it's short for 'Jesus'） - repetitions and misspellings are something we all do， but these should have been picked up by the editor。Departures is a stand-alone， though I imagine there is more to come; I liked the rather uncertain ending （no spoilers！）， particularly Gracelynn's outcome。 E J Wenstrom has created a spookily plausible future world， and I'd certainly be interested in seeing what happens next。 。。。more
Natalie Cammaratta
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Departures does an amazing job of pulling you in from the get go。 Pretty unavoidable when the story starts in the last hours of the main character's life。 Or at least， it was supposed to be。This dystopian takes the juxtaposition of people who the system works for versus those who would be killed by it to a different level。 Instead of characters who live in drastically different worlds， the opposing ends of the spectrum are two sisters。 Their journeys parallel each other， but。。。 I'll stop here to Departures does an amazing job of pulling you in from the get go。 Pretty unavoidable when the story starts in the last hours of the main character's life。 Or at least， it was supposed to be。This dystopian takes the juxtaposition of people who the system works for versus those who would be killed by it to a different level。 Instead of characters who live in drastically different worlds， the opposing ends of the spectrum are two sisters。 Their journeys parallel each other， but。。。 I'll stop here to avoid spoilers。The end shocked me！ Unputdownable indeed。 。。。more
Emily
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Departures is a riveting， exciting， and insightful YA dystopian that will make you wanting more while also taking a step back to think deeply about the world we live in and where it could go。It's been years since I've read a YA dystopian。 But this book was the one to change that！ The world Wenstrom has come up with is only a few steps from ours。 Not since The Hunger Games has a book made me truly examine our current society and where we could be taking it to。 Then， the exploration of sisterhood Departures is a riveting， exciting， and insightful YA dystopian that will make you wanting more while also taking a step back to think deeply about the world we live in and where it could go。It's been years since I've read a YA dystopian。 But this book was the one to change that！ The world Wenstrom has come up with is only a few steps from ours。 Not since The Hunger Games has a book made me truly examine our current society and where we could be taking it to。 Then， the exploration of sisterhood and how people can be so close but make such different choices for their lives and experience the world in such different ways。 I've always loved stories about sisters， and I loved the direction Wenstrom took with this one。 I genuinely grew attached to each sister and felt their heartaches and triumphs。 But they were both so different and had their own voices and journeys。 The romance genuinely was a side plot and never overshadowed the main plot and growth of the characters which was refreshing。 I love a good romance and love story， they're my favorite！ But sometimes it's nice to have it downplayed。 It's important and part of their growth， but only added to it not took away from the focus。 I absolutely loved this book， and I can't wait for the next one。*** I received a complimentary eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。 *** 。。。more
J。E。 McDonald
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E。J。 Wenstrom creates a believable dystopian society， flawless in its execution。 This age-appropriate young adult novel is full of tense action and tender moments， exploring what it means to truly be alive。 The heart of Departures lies with two sisters and their love of each other， and takes the reader on an emotional journey， each sister learning the truth of their sheltered existence piece by piece。 While their carefully constructed realities are stripped away， Gracelyn’s over the course of we E。J。 Wenstrom creates a believable dystopian society， flawless in its execution。 This age-appropriate young adult novel is full of tense action and tender moments， exploring what it means to truly be alive。 The heart of Departures lies with two sisters and their love of each other， and takes the reader on an emotional journey， each sister learning the truth of their sheltered existence piece by piece。 While their carefully constructed realities are stripped away， Gracelyn’s over the course of weeks and Evie’s in the space of a few hours， Wenstrom asks the question: how would you live your life if you knew the date you were going to die？ An amazing start to what promises to be an exceptional series！ 。。。more
Megan Lynch
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Wenstrom's masterful storytelling is on full display in DEPARTURES， with rising stakes， tense twists， and emotional resonance throughout。 The questions that bubble up from the book are good ones to ask ourselves everyday: how much value is there in allowing ourselves to connect with those who may not be there for us later？ Why do we feel the need to survive， and not just on a physiological level， despite all odds？ The themes are thoughtful， the prose is sharp， and the characters are unforgettabl Wenstrom's masterful storytelling is on full display in DEPARTURES， with rising stakes， tense twists， and emotional resonance throughout。 The questions that bubble up from the book are good ones to ask ourselves everyday: how much value is there in allowing ourselves to connect with those who may not be there for us later？ Why do we feel the need to survive， and not just on a physiological level， despite all odds？ The themes are thoughtful， the prose is sharp， and the characters are unforgettable--I highly recommend this book！ 。。。more
Sarah Davis
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Departures by E。 J。 Wenstrom is an intriguing dive into a life void of pain and choice。 Is it really any kind of life worth living？ I loved the two POVs of the sisters as their lives fork and they face their own unique challenges。 This story is like The Giver and Divergent， but。。。 more。 An impressive work。 Thank you， Ms。 Wenstrom， for this story。 I hope there is a sequel！
Kat Turner
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Departures is a top-notch dystopian thriller that will hook you from the beginning and keep you there with twists， surprises， and complex characters with layers to discover throughout the story。 E。J。 Wenstrom excels as masterful characterization， unspooling the characters in tandem with a plot that steadily deepens as danger builds。 The world of Departures is fascinating， different from our own yet familiar enough to evoke resonant-and chilling-similarities。 Evalee is the perfect protagonist for Departures is a top-notch dystopian thriller that will hook you from the beginning and keep you there with twists， surprises， and complex characters with layers to discover throughout the story。 E。J。 Wenstrom excels as masterful characterization， unspooling the characters in tandem with a plot that steadily deepens as danger builds。 The world of Departures is fascinating， different from our own yet familiar enough to evoke resonant-and chilling-similarities。 Evalee is the perfect protagonist for the story， flawed yet strong and forced to reckon with her goals as she navigates an increasingly challenging situation that tests everything she knows and holds dear。 Looking forward to more from this author。*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review* 。。。more
Melody Pendlebury
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