LifeL1k3 by Jay Kristoff -- Review

Title: LifeL1k3
Author: Jay Kristoff 
Pages: 402 
Publishing: May 29th 2018 by Knopf Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 1524713929

Synopsis: 

On a floating junkyard beneath a radiation sky, a deadly secret lies buried in the scrap.

Eve isn’t looking for secrets—she’s too busy looking over her shoulder. The robot gladiator she’s just spent six months building has been reduced to a smoking wreck, and the only thing keeping her Grandpa from the grave was the fistful of credits she just lost to the bookies. To top it off, she’s discovered she can destroy electronics with the power of her mind, and the puritanical Brotherhood are building a coffin her size. If she’s ever had a worse day, Eve can’t remember it.

But when Eve discovers the ruins of an android boy named Ezekiel in the scrap pile she calls home, her entire world comes crashing down. With her best friend Lemon Fresh and her robotic conscience, Cricket, in tow, she and Ezekiel will trek across deserts of irradiated glass, infiltrate towering megacities and scour the graveyard of humanity’s greatest folly to save the ones Eve loves, and learn the dark secrets of her past.

Even if those secrets were better off staying buried. 

Review: 

This was the first Jay Kristoff novel I've ever read and let me tell you... it will not be the last! LifeL1k3 was full of action and excitement from the very first page and it didn't let up until the last sentence. The characters were intriguing, the world building was fantastic, and the pace of the novel was spot on. As I was reading the novel, I kept getting Mad Max vibes, which I later found out was how other readers perceived the novel as well. It was full of grit and action and gave me flashbacks to crazy car chases across a desert. 

Now don't let the Mad Max description make you too close minded... there were also robots, androids, puppy robots (internal squealing) and a few romance scenes that will leave you wondering where Kristoff will take your heart next. There were even a few times where I just wanted to hug my best friend and tell her I love her. Kristoff had a way of running your heart through the ringer during some intense fight scenes, and then doing it all over again with more serious portions of the novel. 

If you're looking for an action packed YA novel, look no further. Kristoff truly delivers with LifeL1k3 and I couldn't be more impressed with his ability to mix a world of action and complex characters so beautifully. I would highly recommend this novel to readers of all genres! You will not be disappointed. Thank you to NetGalley and Knopf Books for Young Readers for sending this novel in exchange for an honest review. 

Rating 4/5