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Playing in the Rain

When All That Matters Is Freedom (Escape Series, Book 1)

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Playing in the Rain

By: Sandra J. Jackson
Narrated by: Carrie Coello
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When the effects of a hypnosis-inducing drug fade, April slowly begins a conscious awakening. Memories of her past are unclear and she has no recollection of her identity or her whereabouts.

As the days slip by, April realizes there is more to life than existing when she is introduced to an occupant who does just that - her sister. The more she learns about her environment the more she wants to escape.

Will April remember her past, her sister? Will she have the courage to leave? And if she does, where will she go?

Experience through April’s eyes her struggle to remember and her determination to escape in this post-apocalyptic sci-fi suspense story.

©2018 Sandra J. Jackson (P)2019 Sandra J. Jackson Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction
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When the effects of a hypnosis inducing drug begins to fade, April wakes up as a captive in a laboratory at the Contagion Eradication Centre for Intelligent Life (C.E.C.I.L) with no memory of her previous life. Up until now she has been on a daily regiment of injections which consist of a memory wiping drug as well as a mysterious vaccine. Her attendant, Jasper, has been weaning her off the former and as she becomes self aware, she remembers not only her name, but is introduced to a sister she wasn’t aware she had. Jasper quietly urges April to keep up the pretence of being in a hypnotic state until they are able to escape. Later his plan goes awry however, and April and her sister Beth find themselves prisoners in a dank wooden building, at the mercy of the egomaniacal founder of the Institute, Cecil...

Playing with Fire is the first intriguing instalment of the Escape series and is told solely from April’s perspective. As a result, the plot is slow to unfold as April becomes self aware and her memories resurface. Little explanation is given on the outside world other than the fact that something seems to be killing everyone.

April is a strong and likeable protagonist who we’re told is nineteen years old. While April’s memories return faster, Beth, who is three years her junior, only has brief flashbacks. Cecil is an intimidating antagonist who comes across as an unpredictable and callous control freak. His motives and plans for the girls are not entirely clear. All we do know is that April and Beth are being used as test subjects for a mysterious vaccine and are being kept as bargaining chips. As the girls desperately search for a means of escape, the tension and underlying sense of danger is amplified by Cecil’s irregular visits.

While the story is slow to build, the book is nonetheless compelling and well worth the effort. I genuinely welled up at one part towards the end which is a testament of the writer’s characterisation skills. The ending has paved the way for the second instalment which I look forward to delving into.

Recommended for YA fans of dystopian novels of teens in peril, mysteries, conspiracies,

I received an advanced free audible copy of Playing in the Rain and I am voluntarily reviewing it. Carrie Coello has masterfully brought the characters and story to life with her clear, concise delivery which made it easy to differentiate between characters.

Ideal for YA fans of dystopian books

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Listener received this title free

I originally planned to just listen to half an hour of this before bed, but I ended plowing through two hours of it and got up early the next day to listen to it at work.

A stunning debut, that has that perfect magic of enthralling writing combined with a captivating performance. I’ll say nothing of the plot for fear of spoilers, but it’ll be interesting to see what the next instalment brings. Well worth your time.

A very interesting listen...

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Listener received this title free

the idea of the story is decent, but it's just too slow going and never seems to gear up.

narration is okay if monotonous.

okay story, let down by too slow development.

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Listener received this title free

I found this book a pleasurable listen. There was plenty of intrigue throughout the book to keep you interested in how the story will develop. There are parts of the book that move a bit slowly but not for long enough to spoil the enjoyment.

The narration of the book was excellent throughout with the narrator doing a great job of matching the tone of the book to her voice.

Enjoyable and easy to listen to

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This audiobook sucked me in from the very start. Two girls are in a facility, they are given memory blockers, every day. They don’t know anything from one day to day the next and are living pretty much like robots. Then one of the girls, April, “wakes up”, she follows the same routines that she has done for as long as she remembers but she is aware of everything. She can’t stop following the routine as cameras are trained on her. Can the girls escape and get their memories back fully?
This was so intriguing and unique, I don’t think I have come across a book/audiobook like this before. I just had to continue to listen, barely had a break until I had listened to the whole book. It was intense, thought-provoking and fantastic.

This is the first book in the series, and if the other books are as good as this, it is going to be an absolutely brilliant one.

Fantastic!

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