Qualify Review

600 pages

The year is 2047. An extinction-level asteroid is hurtling toward Earth, and the descendents of ancient Atlantis have returned from the stars in their silver ships to offer humanity help.
But there’s a catch.
They can only take a tiny percent of the Earth’s population back to the colony planet Atlantis. And in order to be chosen, you must be a teen, you must be bright, talented, and athletic, and you must Qualify.
Sixteen-year-old Gwenevere Lark is determined not only to Qualify but to rescue her entire family.
Because there’s a loophole.
If you are good enough to Qualify, you are eligible to compete in the brutal games of the Atlantis Grail, which grants all winners the laurels, high tech luxuries, and full privileges of Atlantis Citizenship. And if you are in the Top Ten, then all your wildest wishes are granted… Such as curing your mother’s cancer.
There is only one problem.
Gwen Lark is known as a klutz and a nerd. While she’s a hotshot in classics, history, science, and languages, the closest she’s come to sports is a backyard pool and a skateboard.
This time she is in over her head, and in for a fight of her life, against impossible odds and world-class competition—including Logan Sangre, the most amazing guy in her class, the one she’s been crushing on, and who doesn’t seem to know she exists.
Because every other teen on Earth has the same idea.
You Qualify or you die.

Review:

It's hard to describe the feelings invoked in me while reading this book, but one thing is certain, by the end I absolutely wanted more. I think I can safely say that this is one of the most enjoyable novels I have read so far in 2015. The storyline was pleasantly different and original when it comes to the story of Atlantis. Imagine Atlantis as a super advanced part of the ancient human race who destroyed themselves and had to flee the planet and settle on a distant one. The Atlanteans eventually come back to save humankind from impending disaster. Enter, the Qualification trials. Although the majority of the book is taken up with the training for this competition, the action is not at all lacking. This story is told from Gwen's point of view which at first I found annoying, because she isn't very strong, seems very insecure, and is preoccupied with bullies. However, as the story went on, I could see Gwen growing and becoming the type of heroine you can't help but root for. Gwen isn't perfect and good at everything but she goes out of her way for the people that she loves the most. There's a little bit of a love triangle, although I don't think even Gwen has realized it yet, between herself, an Atlantean and a human.It doesn't completely develop so I'm interested to see where it goes in the next novel. The brutality of the competitions were actually a total shock to me and it seems like the Atlanteans are prepping these teens for something more. I cannot wait for the next book to be released in this seriesso that I can see what else is in store for the Qualify competitors. I definitely recommend this novel if you love exciting dystopian and science fiction books.