ARC Review: Countdown by Michelle Rowen

Title: Countdown
Author: Michelle Rowen
Publication: September 24th 2013 by Harlequin Teen
Genre: YA Dystopia
Source: Provided by the kind publisher...
Goodreads

3 seconds left to live. Once the countdown starts, it cannot be stopped. 

2 pawns thrown into a brutal underground reality game. 

Kira Jordan survived her family's murder and months on plague-devastated city streets with hard-won savvy and a low-level psi ability. She figures she can handle anything. Until she wakes up in a barren room, chained next to the notorious Rogan Ellis. 

1 reason Kira will never, ever trust Rogan. Even though both their lives depend on it. 

Their every move is controlled and televised for a vicious exclusive audience. And as Kira's psi skill unexpectedly grows and Rogan's secrets prove evermore deadly, Kira's only chance of survival is to risk trusting him as much as her instincts. Even if that means running head-on into the one trap she can't escape. 

GAME 0VER

-- My Rating --

4/5 Oscars :  Really liked it

-- My Thoughts --

     Well, I was in a love-hate relationship with the dystopia genre ever since I started reading it. I was madly in love with the creativity in it sometimes but sometimes, it was boring to me. I am greatly thankful that this book fell into the madly-in-love criteria.
     A didn't have an easy life. But everything turns worse when she finds herself trapped in a cruel TV show game, the Countdown, with none other than an arrogant boy she never knew existed. Rogan has many secrets up his sleeve and he's not ready to share them yet. Meanwhile, this strange, brave girl seems to be getting under his skin. But this is a survival game, and it's only for the fittest.
     I loved the whole TV show idea. To be thrust into a survival game that thousands of subscribers were watching seemed like a cruel but intriguing idea. And the whole Countdown theme in the whole book was wonderful to witness. I liked how the chapters were divided into the many different levels that Rogan and A crossed. 
     What I liked the most was the romance. It was sweet and it was slow-moving, my favorite kind of romance of all! The romance was not exaggerated but it was an important element, nonetheless. This book is an action-packed, romantic, dystopian thriller. There is not a moment that you will get bored. There is not a moment without some serious action. This book took a LOT of research and preparation, that's for sure.
     The ending was perfect for me. It closed up the loose ends pretty nicely but also left room for many other subjects to be explored. The author's writing style is typical, not at all unique, but no one seems to mind that. It's the story that matters. And she definitely knows how to deliver her story perfectly. This book will grip you and won't let go, not even after the very last page! You'll keep thinking about this for weeks to come, that's for sure!