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RJ Crayton

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Life First: (Dystopian series, book 1) Kindle Edition

by RJ Crayton (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.1 305 ratings

Book 1 of 3: Life First

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"The prospect of being the human parts drawer society reaches into to cure its neediest patients would drive anyone mad." - Kelsey Reed, Life First

Strong-willed Kelsey Reed must escape tonight or tomorrow her government will take her kidney and give it to someone else.

She’ll need the help of her true love, Luke, to make this dangerous escape. This dystopian future Kelsey lives in was forged by survivors of pandemics that wiped out 80 percent of the world's population. Here, life is valued above all else. The mentally ill are sterilized, abortions are illegal and those who refuse to donate an organ when told are sentenced to death.

Determined not to give up her kidney or die, Kelsey and Luke enlists the help of a dodgy doctor to escape. The trio must disable the electronic tracking chip in Kelsey's arm for her to flee undetected. If they fail, Kelsey could be stripped of Luke, her kidney and everything else she holds dear.

If bleak futures like those in the Handmaid's tale leave you reeling, then you'll love Life First. This page-turning dystopian thriller with a touch of romance is the first in the Life First dystopian book series. The thrills and romance with the dark dystopian backdrop continue in Second Life (book 2 of the series) and Third Life: Taken (book 3 of the series).

* * *
"Life First is a poignant, riveting, thought provoking read that had me entranced from page one until the very end of the book."
-- 5 Stars, Griffin's Honey Blog

"Life First gripped you like King Kong and would not let go until you had finished the book."
--BestChickLit.com

~ A 2014 B&P Reader's Choice Award Nominee ~
~ BRAG Medallion winner ~

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I was completely intrigued by this book from the very first page. There were fairly few characters in-keeping with the story, but they were all extremely well thought out. I really think RJ Crayton should be expecting calls for film rights because this played out in my mind as I read it like a really great film.... It gripped you like King Kong and would not let go until you had finished the book." -BestChickLit.com
"RJ Crayton just took me on a wild ride in her sci-fi thriller, Life First. This novel was a poignant, riveting, thought provoking read that had me entranced from page one until the very end of the book. In simple speak, I literally could not put it down." -Griffin's Honey Blog
"If you like dystopian thrillers, then you'll enjoy this well-written novel and will be waiting, impatiently, for the next in the series." -Booksquawk
"This book turned out to be nothing like what I was expecting-in a good way.... The plot was really well worked with lots of twists and surprises that keep you hooked. There was depth, drama, tension and action in this book that I didn't expect. The storytelling was done beautifully, and you can't help but care what happens to everyone involved." -Chuckles Book Cave

From the Author

How would you like to be the human spare parts drawer society reaches into to cure it's neediest patients? Not a fun prospect if you're not willing, but it is the society that Kelsey Reed lives in. It was really interesting to explore how this society got to this point and what that means for a citizen whose not quite on board with the Life Firs mentality.
While that's all deep and philosophical, the book was a lot of fun to write, because the deeper issue is often overshadowed by the excitement of what's happening. Kelsey has a tracking chip in her arm. Can she get rid of that in time? If something goes wrong, how will it be fixed? How did Kelsey get involved with this underhanded doctor whose helping orchestrate her escape?
All wonderful questions that arise and get answered. We also get to see love in action, as we learn just how far Kelsey and Luke are willing to go for each other as she tries to escape the fate laid out for her.

From the Inside Flap

Are you looking for a page turning read that will keep you tethered to your seat until you reach the end? Then, this is the book for you.
Life First has been called "poignant," "riveting" and the "King Kong" of books that "won't let go until you reach the very end."
Kelsey Reed is trying to escape the Federation of Surviving States (FoSS) before its government can take her kidney and give it to someone else. Kelsey's reasons for fleeing are deeper than a desire to choose what happens to her body. Her past is littered with events that make her question the Life First policy FoSS accepts as the norm.
Kelsey will have her devoted boyfriend Luke at her side, but will he be enough against the government that wants her for spare parts? Find out in Life First.

From the Back Cover

Are you looking for a page turning read that will keep you tethered to your seat until you reach the end? Then, this is the book for you.
Life First has been called "poignant," "riveting" and the "King Kong" of books that "won't let go until you reach the very end."
Kelsey Reed is trying to escape the Federation of Surviving States (FoSS) before its government can take her kidney and give it to someone else. Kelsey's reasons for fleeing are deeper than a desire to choose what happens to her body. Her past is littered with events that make her question the Life First policy FoSS accepts as the norm.
Kelsey will have her devoted boyfriend Luke at her side, but will he be enough against the government that wants her for spare parts? Find out in Life First.

About the Author

R.J. Crayton grew up in Illinois and now lives in the Maryland suburbs of Washington, DC. She is the author of the Life First series of novels, which includes Life First and Second Life.

Prior to writing fiction, Crayton was a journalist, writing for newspapers, including the Wichita Eagle and Kansas City Star. Crayton also worked for several trade publications, including Solid Waste Report, Education Technology News, and Campus Crime. Her first novels were published in 2013. The third novel in the Life First series, and a short story collection (Four Mothers), will be released in 2014.
Crayton is a monthly contributor to the Indies Unlimited blog (indiesunlimited.com/author/rj-crayton/) and a regular contributor to the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies blog (ieet.org/index.php/IEET/bio/crayton/). When she's not writing, Crayton spends her time being a ninja mom (stealthy and ultra cool, like moms should be) to her son and daughter.
Crayton loves connecting with readers. If you talk to her, she'll talk back, so please check her out at the following places:
Website: rjcrayton.com
Facebook: facebook.com/rjcraytonauthor
Twitter: twitter.com/RJCrayton
Goodreads: goodreads.com/author/show/7111348.R_J_Crayton
Pinterest: pinterest.com/rjcrayton
Google+: plus.google.com/u/0/100148365017122584860/posts
Tumblr: rjcrayton.tumblr.com/

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00DFNWFX4
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Amazon Digital Services LLC; 2nd edition (June 13, 2013)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 13, 2013
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 4972 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 279 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1490468080

Best Sellers Rank: #12,320 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #14 in Medical Thrillers (Kindle Store)
- #26 in Conspiracy Thrillers (Kindle Store)
- #166 in Dystopian Science Fiction (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
4.1 305 ratings

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RJ Crayton

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RJ Crayton is the author of the three book series. The Prophecy of Light series includes Trapped, Unleashed and the soon to be released Foretold. The Virus series includes Concealed, Exposed, and Contained. The fast-paced dystopian Life First series include Life First, Second Life and Third Life:Taken. She's also author of the paranormal novel Scented and the short-story collection Four Mothers. Prior to becoming an author, Crayton was a journalist. She reported for several publications, including The Kansas City Star and Education Technology News. Crayton lives in Maryland with her husband and two children. When she's not writing, she enjoys eating cupcakes, walking, reading, sewing or watching TV (she's partial to Star Trek, super hero flicks and gripping dramas).

When you subscribe to the mailing list, get a free ebook copy of one of Crayton's books. To learn more about this offer, go to www.rjcrayton.com/subscribe.

Customer reviews

4.1 out of 5

305 global ratings

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Donna D

A dystopian society unimaginable

Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2016

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What if you lived in a society where you had to donate an organ if you happened to match up perfectly as a donor for someone you had never met or even heard of? But you are totally healthy but now marked for a surgery to remove one of your kidneys.

That is what happens to Kelsey, a young woman in a future society where you must consider life first for everyone, even if you must undergo a serious operation to donate an organ to allow a stranger who is sick to live. If you refuse you can be jailed and marked for death and all your organs donated.

An interesting concept and a well written book. I am happy to say there are two more in the series ready to read so here I go to do just that.

5 people found this helpful

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Amy Sheets

Excellent - definitely worth reading!

Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2016

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The setting of this story is terrifying - and especially so because it's so darn believable. The author does an outstanding job of presenting her (VERY well thought out) dystopian future culture, where living organ donation is mandated by the state, and only the sociopathic criminal would dare to attempt to avoid their "obligation to society".
It takes a side swipe to socialism - where it's not your income or labor that becomes property of the community - but your body ((Shudder)) - all in the pursuit of health and safety for the whole. Yikes.

I applaud the author in how convincingly she builds each character's motivations and the "morality of the culture" (from its origination to present application) throughout the book. She skillfully gives it to you just as needed. I didn't feel like I had to sit through a "history lesson" to get up speed.

I liked the plot twists that had you guessing which side the relevant characters were truly on.

I would have loved to be able to give this book five stars, as I simply can't rave enough about how well the author built her world.

There were only a couple of things I feel kept it from earning that fifth star. As other reviewers mentioned, the story gets a bit bogged down in some unnecessary minutia slowing the pace quite a bit at times. Also, there was maybe just one or two too many "oh my God it's all over now" situations that got resolved a bit too readily. It seemed like Murphy's law, followed by an "angel of luck" showed up just a few too many times in the last quarter of the book.

I still recommend it highly! It's a good read that will make you think hard about how easily socialistic ideas can slip into society under the guise of protection for the public, but ultimately and inevitably rob that same public of their basic individual human rights.

Four stars - and I will definitely consider reading the sequel.

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Alesia Hurley

Everything's just too okay...

Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2016

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I really waffled as to whether or not I should give this a 3 or a 2-star rating. That's a shame because the author is a really good Storyteller you can tell she is an above-average writer. However I ended up giving it 3 stars because I managed to make it to the end of the book without feeling like I had wasted my time. The premise of the book was engaging enough that I wanted to keep reading. But more so for the reason that I expected some really major plot twists or something that would Shock Me but it really didn't deliver on that. I felt there was too much inner dialogue and that caused the story to drag some. It also seemed preachy at times.

What the book really needed was some dastardly characters. The government did not seem enough of an antagonistic character for the novel and the protagonist was not complex enough. She was self centered and I couldn't really relate with her as much as I wanted to. She didn't face any major ordeals that I would expect out of a novel of this genre and of the trials that she faced, she didn't develop any depth of character from them.

The sad thing is, this novel had a whole lot of potential. I really expected a lot of action or drama or something that made it pop. The story had potential to deliver tears or laughter or hatred but I did not get any of those feelings. The writing was so good I felt down that nothing really happened. I'm not sure I will purchase the second book in the series. Especially considering the excerpt that I've read from it. It seems more of the same.

Note to author: I enjoyed reading this. However, it is okay to kill a character or two.

7 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

M. J.

I never knew what would come next.

Reviewed in Canada on December 10, 2018

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I enjoyed this book and feel it’s worth reading.
I found this book an interesting perspective on society. We are taught to follow the laws, but sometimes laws are unethical or don’t serve the best interest of the people. This story shows the dark side of how sometimes acting for the good of the people can not work out well for the individual.
In a future world where most of the population has been killed in a pandemic, laws are put in place to ensure survival. Kelsey Reed is ordered to donate her kidney to a complete stranger to save his life. When she refuses, she is thrown into prison and deemed a sociopath.
This book is dark. I was stressed out while I read it because of the level of torment Kelsey endures! I personally didn’t find it fast or easy to read because of how dark it was, but I would recommend this book. It is well written and fast paced and I was not able to predict what happened next. I will be continuing with the series.

Amanda Day

Gripping

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 15, 2017

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Loved this book kept me up for nights on end reading it, gripping story and great characters. Takes me a lot to get into a book but then 10 pages in i was sold.

J.B.

Thoroughly enjoyable

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 30, 2017

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If you're a fan of hunger games and divergent, you'll like this

Shaun McLaughlin

This is a good read. My only quibble is styling this novel ...

Reviewed in Canada on June 23, 2015

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Life First by RJ Crayton does what all sci-fi thrillers should do: start with tension or action. The story opens with Kelsey, 23, walking down a hall with her father. An unspoken threat hangs in the air. Kelsey examines the rug and muses on how they are alike—both fakes. This set-up draws the reader in and holds you.

The novel takes place in the future after major pandemics have wiped out much of Earth’s humans. The United States has reformed into several countries. The story’s characters live in a county that believes in the importance of preserving every life to the point that it forces people to give up their organs to save others.

The government demands that Kelsey submit to an operation to remove a kidney. She rejects the idea for several reasons and wants to escape to a neighboring country (part of current Florida) that still allows self-determination. The plot has many twists and turns, where bravery or treachery lurk around every corner. Crayton created a strong cast of supporting characters. Kelsey’s relationship with her father—at first difficult and later strong—is compelling. This is a good read.

My only quibble is styling this novel as dystopian. With the exception of the forced organ donations, Kelsey’s country boasts a low-crime rate, a functioning government and judiciary, and general prosperity. That’s not a dystopia.

wendyL

Couldnt get into it

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 25, 2018

Verified Purchase

Not for me. I just couldn't get into it and gave up after the first couple of chapters. Well written definitely but it just didn't grip me like other books of this genre have done