Riddle's writing is clean. It keeps moving except in the case of clothing. He brings up clothing over and over. I've talked about The Cube at the start, and while our group is not in a maze filled with deadly traps, their situation is similar: They are - kind of - trapped in a small underground research facility (with failing power), fighting for their survival and totally unaware of any details - where they are, how they got there, how long they've been there, what happened in the meantime. The only person who could shed some light unto those questions suffers from partial memory loss. The world is decimated by a weaponized virus, and by a vicious internecine conflict between warring factions, "The Union" and "The Alliance", both beset with policies dictated by an insatiable thirst for power and greed, unyielding even as the entire planet precipitously verges on impending total annihilation. By this point of the story I'm not sure who to be scared of, the humans or the dinosaurs. Sure the dinos kill but they do so to survive, humans are a weird thing that is in THEIR territory. It's not their fault that the humans overpopulated their continent and now are eyeing up their property. I understand Storm's internal struggle. In one way you don't want to ruin the beautiful wildlife and in the other the wildlife could eat your for their afternoon tea. Lincoln’s sister is becoming increasingly ill from the blistering plague and in a desperate attempt to try anything, he gives her some of the ointment Blaine made for them to heal their wounds on Piloria. The results seem promising, and when the daughter of one of the Stipulator’s he works with in the lab falls ill, the chance to make the cure a reality surfaces. The problem is, the ingredients for the cure reside on Piloria, the dinosaur continent.

Owen is a firefighter, but worries that he will lose the job he loves to robots. Maya only has fragmented memories of her past, but knows she was doing something important. When they awaken in an underground bunker, alongside a small group of strangers, they discover that the world they knew has changed irrevocably - and that they are possibly the last hope for the human race - in an experiment called The Extinction Files.

The world building was great but it felt standard for post-apocalyptic novels (in comparison to the world of Hell Divers by Nicholas Sansbury Smith for example). It is a month after the end of the Trial and Storm is not a popular person. Her relationship with Dell has yet to recover from the strain of her helping others and not helping him and they disagree about the killing of the dinosaurs with the virus that is still being constructed. She is finding living with a huge group of people, her 'claimed family', impossible after the solitude she had before, and isn't coping with the responsibility. She is well aware that Reban Don knows she is lying about her 'family' to get them the food and healthcare they need and she fears at any moment it will all be taken away from them. Now her lies about her skills have led to a change of job, working in with the very people she needs to avoid. Instead, we start into a world of tomorrow that seems to be a bright world at first glance - AIs being utilized the right way, robots relieving mankind from the most dangerous activities (like firefighting). It looks to be a promising world!

Thank you to AG Riddle, the publisher and NetGalley for the complimentary reviewer's copy. I am choosing to leave a fair and honest review. Exile definitely was a lot more adventurous and exciting than book one (which was also not bad btw!) but still it was not as good as I would have liked. Unfortunately, the writing style didn't get any better, or at least for me but I study languages so I am constantly surrounded by grammar and know how it works and should work. The writing style felt dull at times, the syntax was just meh. But again, if you have no idea of grammar or like super short sentences or if you're a younger reader I think it's a great way to start your booknerd journey; or if English isn't your first language, I think the easy writing will definitely help you to get used to the language as it is really easy to understand because there are no multi-clause sentences or stuff like that. Well-constructed and tightly-wound as a fine Swiss watch—DEPARTURE has non-stop action, an engaging plot and, of course, wheels within wheels." And then, of course, everything goes south. Looks can be deceiving. It's true in everyday's life, and it is especially true in the world of the extinction trials. Before we reach them, though, we get a good look at our two main heroes. Immediately likeable characters are a boon for every story, but especially for stories of dystopian suffering that want you to suffer alongside their characters.

Exile has a steady pace, the first half has us getting to grips with how things are in the aftermath of the previous book, meeting some shady characters and getting clued in that something is going on...something possibly not quite right, as well as some clues about a potential cure. So yeah.. the competition honestly makes no sense, and isn't really present. You'd think they would all want to work together while trying to steal eggs from freaking dinosaurs but WHATEVER! The character development was the best part of the novel. Each character was amazingly written with unique personalities. As the characters slowly regained their memories I loved witnessing the changing relationship between each character; some relationships became stronger while others slowly degraded. AG Riddle writes stories that include world-changing events and suspenseful travel. My first introduction to Riddle’s writing was with his Atlanta Gene series. Just like The Extinction Trials, there was travel, suspense, and budding world change.

From the bestselling author of Departure and Winter World , comes a standalone novel with a twist you'll never forget.

Follow us

Wow am I so happy I found this series! It’s pure entertainment for me (as a dinosaur fanatic) to get to read these. I love the dystopian-type setting and the exploration of Piloria. I have to admit, I expected a bit more I guess. And it's really hard to pinpoint what it is exactly that made me feel this way. I did like the relative absence of violence and cruelty - unusual in a genre that often crosses over into horror, and avoidance of unnecessary sex and swearing - I don’t mind that where it’s necessary for the plot but here it really isn’t. I would definitely be keen to read some of the author’s other books.

Now don't get me wrong. I still LIKED the book. I just didn't love it the way I've loved Riddle's other stuff. I consider Riddle to be an A level author, and this was more of a B-. Still good, and certainly above average, but not on par with what I've come to expect from him. Speaking about memory: There are also philosophical ideas and concepts spread throughout the book. How do our memories of the past shape or future? If our memories could be altered, what would that mean for us? They'd left a world of destruction and grief and toxic unbreathable air, of self-driving cars, robots and drones and the machines' human masters. They will awaken to a new world - far beyond expectations. When the real part of the trials begin, our two protagonists will be joined by a bunch of other characters. Those are as much of an enigma to the heroes as to us, and soon everything starts to look like a (deadly) game. A game that begs the question - who can you trust?

The Extinction Trials

Besides some of these questions, our heroes are also facing riddles (the author lives up to his name) they have to solve with the breadcrumbs of clues they have been given. And it soon becomes clear they make an excellent pair. As usual, I was super attracted to this dystopia set in a future in which a group of people has decided that resetting humanity and putting them through trials was the best way to help the planet, and make Earth a better place. The Change, as they call it, has killed many humans and destroyed civilization as we know it. Know, a group of strangers wakes up in a bunker, and it's up to them to figure out what happened, why, and how to survive in this seemingly hostile environment. There’s also a through line of the relationship between fathers and their children and mostly in this case their daughters and how their decisions impact those closest to them for better or for worse. It was interesting to see that play out and how it differed depending on the duo in question and I look forward to seeing more of it in the next installment. Stormchaser has violet eyes. Sure, it’s a strange world people can have violet eyes, yeah? Except the color is apparently unusual even for people who come from far reaches of Earthasia so she’s most likely the only one with eyes this color. She has no parents, mother died a few years ago, never met her father, her mother didn’t allow mention of him. Usually that’s a sign the father is alive and evil. So who else could have violet eyes but the chief Stipulator sending a hundred people to die on a deadly continent? This guy gives her weird looks throughout the book, this coupled with the fact that they both have the same “unusual” eyes, it still took someone else politely mentioning it for her to realize that this guy may be her father. Not the ripest apple on the tree, this girl. But before then, the six will have find a way to trust one another, deal with a "mesh" to pacify minds, confront the aforementioned warring factions, and flee from the reaches of a global phenomenon called "The Change".