Publisher: BookBaby
Date of Publication: August 25th, 2021
Genre: Dystopia, Action, Adventure
Purchase Links: Amazon
Goodreads Synopsis:
Buried among the million inhabitants of a society evolved into disjointedness, Otto struggles. He flounders alone in Brownton, the only home he has ever known. Those struggles, though, become secondary under the angst dispensed by the unforeseen tragedy of an otherwise idle Thursday. A restaurant he designed collapses, leaving hundreds dead. Banished from all that is familiar as penance for this calamity, Otto is thrust on an uncharted journey to the US, accompanied by little more than the burden of his own guilt and doubt.
Through the uncertainty of his voyage, Otto finds support where it is least expected. Samantha Justus and her brothers retrieve him from the clutches of an enemy he does not fully grasp. He finds himself an unknowing target in the midst of a strife much larger than his own tribulation. But buoyed by his newfound community—heretofore a foreign concept—Otto discovers a secret that holds in its fragile hand the survival of his homeland. Though brandished a criminal in two realms, he is left with the challenge of navigating a return to the scene of the crime in the hope of saving those who would convict him. It is not a mission he can accomplish alone. It will require the combined efforts of Sam, E.J., Benny, Marcos, Desmond, Bree, Hardy, and Tika—the tribe that has assembled along the way.
First Line:
“What?” His jaw pounded excitedly, but none of the supposed sound leaving his face reached me across the table.
rupture state by m.b. bartkowski
I wasn’t too sure if I wanted to read Rupture State when I read the blurb. But, after some consideration, I made the decision to read it. I ended up enjoying this book more than I thought!!
Rupture State is the story about Otto. Otto is a resident of a floating city, Brownton. Brownton was built when global warming caused the sea to rise and flood the coastal areas. Initially, it was supposed to be a temporary situation, but that turned permanent. There are several floating cities, and they all are considered separate countries. They have their currency and laws; the latter comes into play later in the book. Otto works as an engineer at a firm responsible for fabricating the grids that the city floats on. Everything is going great in his life until a hanging restaurant that he built comes crashing to the ground. Sent to the mainland until the scandal blows over, Otto discovers a more sinister plot. With the help of a mysterious young woman, her brothers, and their friends, Otto is determined to let the citizens of Brownton know what is going on before another tragedy happens.
Rupture State is a fast-moving book. The book’s flow did compliment the fast pace, but some parts seemed to falter a little. I noticed that it mainly seemed to be when Otto was on the run with Sam and her brothers. It didn’t disturb my enjoyment of the book, but it did throw me off a little bit.
I wasn’t the biggest fan of Otto. I did like him initially, and I felt awful for him when the restaurant collapsed. But after that, I started to think less of him. Now, I don’t know how I would have acted if something ever happened to me, but I do know that I wouldn’t have let a coworker or boss not allow me to be part of the investigation. I also would have lawyered up and demanded an investigation. But it didn’t happen (it couldn’t because the plotline wouldn’t have gone further than that tragedy). I started to like him again once he was on the mainland and started investigating himself. What he found out made sense and honestly scared me.
The dystopia angle of the book was wonderfully written. Not much was written about the mainland (aka the USA), but Brownton had an exciting and vibrant society. I loved that the author chose to make self-driving cars a thing. Oh, and let’s not forget that he built on handheld devices (all residents, USA and Brownton, had devices on their wrists connected to the internet) and movies (there was a pick your plotline for the film at the beginning of the book).
I also liked that the author incorporated climate change and global warming into the plotline. I could see cities like Brownton popping up if the sea rises. So, it wasn’t a stretch for me to believe that Brownton could exist. It will exist if we don’t do something about it.
The action-angle of the book was written very well also. Of course, there were action sequences (like on the factory’s roof or the boat back to Brownton). I loved seeing Otto becoming some anti-hero during the latter half of the book. He didn’t use violence but his brain to outsmart the bad guys.
There was a romance angle in Rupture State, but it wasn’t played upon, which was a relief. The author did give Otto and Sam romantic scenes, but the focus was on getting Otto and the evidence to Brownton, not on his romance with Sam. I loved it!!!
The end of Rupture State was a little predictable, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I will not get into it (hello, spoilers!!), but I will say that everyone deserved what happened. Otto did try to warn them, and they didn’t listen to him. The ones who did were already off Brownton when things went down.
I would recommend Rupture State to anyone over the age of 21. There is nongraphic sex, language, and mild violence.
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