Review: Swipe by Evan Angler

Swipe by Evan Angler
Young Adult / Thomas Nelson
Series: Swipe - Book One
Amazon / Goodreads

About the book:

Everyone gets the Mark. It gives all the benefits of citizenship. Yet if getting the Mark is such a good thing, then why does it feel so wrong?

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.

My rating:

My thoughts:

Swipe was a great action read that I think is fantastic for younger readers, but that some adults will also enjoy (I did!).

Some of the things in Swipe were very plausible, which made for a more realistic/believable story. While the beginning of the book was good, I enjoyed the second half much more that the first.

There are a few things in this book that, while I didn't have a problem with them, others might, so I thought I'd mention them: some name calling (but the names were really silly, like tightwad, miser, and piker to name a few) and a few kids punched each other, fought, etc. As I said, none of that bothered me.

There were a couple things in Swipe I didn't see coming, but they were nice surprises and made the book more interesting to read.

All in all, a good book that I recommend more for younger readers, but if you enjoy middle grade/young adult books, you'll probably like this one as well. The ending was great and leaves me wanting to read Evan's next book, Sneak, which releases this fall.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for my review. I was not required to give a positive review, only my honest opinion - which I've done. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.*

Was my review helpful? If so, please click yes on Amazon. Thank you!