Tag: Marina Epley

Annihilation (Mind Breaker #3) by Marina Epley

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Annihilation (Mind Breaker #3) by Marina Epley
One of the first series I have had the pleasure of reading and reviewing on my blog has come to a thrilling end. That series is the Mind Breaker trilogy by Marina Epley, and the third book in the series, Annihilation, sees the deadly war between humans and breakers come to a bloody end. Here is the official synopsis:
THE MIND BREAKER ANNIHILATION. The third and final book in the MIND BREAKER trilogy. For the brave ones who have navigated the roller coaster ride of the first two books, hang on, the upside down inverted portion of your ride continues.
Not all dreams are meant to be fulfilled. Somebody once said what doesn’t kill you only serves to make you stronger… well, they lied.
Rex and his team have to join forces with their worst enemies in order to have a chance to overcome an even greater threat, a level 5 breaker with Godlike powers and evil intentions.
Strap in and enjoy!
The final book in this series takes the reader on a pretty intense journey, showing the fate of several characters you’ve come to know and love over the course of the trilogy. Relationships bloom, and old enemies become unlikely allies as the fate of both humanity and breakers alike rests in the hands of Rex, but will he be strong enough to stop this new emerging threat?
While there were a few grammatical errors throughout the book, overall I found the author’s style of writing to be entertaining and engaging, building a dark and desolate future and mythology that could easily mirror our own future, should certain fears be manipulated and decisions made based on that unfounded fear. The final book is jam packed full of emotion, heartbreak and edge of your seat suspense as you read the final pages for yourself. 
Overall, this is a fantastic final book that you will not want to miss. Marina Epley pens a beautiful final novel that YA and dystopian fans alike will enjoy, and I give it a 8/10 review. I hope you guys will pick up your copies today!

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Retaliation (The Mind Breaker Trilogy #2) by Marina Epley Review

It’s time to return to the dark, bloody world of The Mind Breaker Trilogy. In Marina Epley’s second novel of the series, Retaliation, the war
between humans and mind breakers deepens, as series protagonist Rex straddles the line between resistance hero and mankind’s most feared terrorist.
Here is the synopsis for the Dystopian novel:

RETALIATION is the second novel in THE MIND BREAKER trilogy, set in a violent dystopian world where governmental forces wage war against humans
with psychic abilities.

Against all odds, Rex escapes from an Elimination prison and joins Retaliation, a rebel group consisting of humans with abilities in hypnotism,
memory reading and telepathy. Unfortunately, this place turns out a bit different from the sanctuary he dreams about. Half of the rebels are
hardened criminals, and the rest are merely children, kids brainwashed into hating and killing any non-breakers they encounter.

In Retaliation, Rex decides to try and change things from the inside before the criminals take over, simultaneously looking for a way to
capture his hated enemy, Captain Wheeler. But it happens that the captain is always one step ahead, and has been planning an opportunity to
destroy Rex. He takes Rex’s mother and sister hostage, demanding Rex to surrender. So Rex now has to figure out how to save his relatives from
Wheeler and rescue trapped Retaliation recruits from the hardened criminal element currently taking over the group.

The underlying problem is that no matter what he decides, it always seems to be exactly what Elimination wanted him to do. In believing that
he is fighting a just war against his enemies, Rex may well happen to be nothing more than a puppet in somebody else’s game.

With Elimination seemingly ahead of him at every turn, the struggle for Rex is very real. Facing enemies both from the outside world and from
within his own group, Rex must find a way to stop Elimination and his foe, Captain Wheeler, and stop the hatred brewing on both sides between humans
and breakers. The writing in this story is real and passionate, and does a marvelous job of developing complex characters that you will either
love or hate deeply, making it an even richer story.

The themes of this story are a powerful one, especially in this day and age. The hatred and violence the breakers feel towards humans and the
humans feel towards breakers are an excellent study of prejudice against minorities or people who are different from the “norm” of society. It
speaks volumes for the hatred that is born out of fear of the unknown, and showcases the difficult path that acceptance and peace runs on.

Overall, this is a phenomenal novel. Fans of the dystopian genre will love delving into this series, and if you haven’t read the first book,
I highly suggest you do. Marina Epley is a talented indie author who is sure to storm the dystopian world with her insightful and thought-provoking
work, and that is why I give her novel, Retaliation, a 8 out of 10 rating, and highly recommend you guys check it out for yourself! We look forward
to reading the final chapter of this series and hope to see Rex find a way to end this war once and for all.

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Author Interview with Marina Epley, author of “The Mind Breaker Trilogy”

Here is a fun interview we did with author Marina Epley for her incredible YA/Dystopian novel series, The Mind Breaker Trilogy!

1) What
inspired you to write Elimination and create the world of this dystopian
series?

I’ve actually
been fascinated by the idea of mind control for quite some time. The character
Rex first came to me almost 10 years ago, although it was difficult to find the
perfect setting for the story. About two years ago I was watching Schindler’s
List, one of my favorite movies, and realized that this is a type of situation
to throw characters in and see how they react. Afterward, creating the setting
and characters came easily.

2) What drew
you to write in the YA/Dystopian genre?

I was
initially writing contemporary fiction for YA, but this genre never seemed to
provide enough freedom for imaginative ideas. I switched to dystopian because the
genre has less limitations and provides a fantastic opportunity for world
building. I love writing dark, gritty stories filled with action and danger,
and the dystopian world seems like the perfect setting to accommodate.

3) Are there
any characters in Elimination that are based on people in your life? (I.E. Rex,
Kitty, etc)

I never base
characters on real people, only using some singular features of people I’ve
known. My characters often seem to take on a life of their own and control
their destinies within the story, even more so than I do. The characters I
write about also have a tendency to influence me, just like real people.

4) Was there
an author or a particular book that inspired you to write?

Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov gave me a lot of confidence
and inspiration because he was one of only a handful of native speaking
Russians to successfully become an American author. I’m following a similar
path.

5) What drew
you into the writing world?

I guess I’ve never consciously chosen to become a writer, the choice
seems to have been made for me. The real world just never seemed to be enough
for me. Around the age of twelve, I was already writing short stories to share
with classmates. They could never get enough, so I realized at that early age a
future in writing fiction was possible.

6) If there
was one genre of writing you could never write, what would it be and why?

I doubt I
will go back to contemporary fiction, because the genre has too many limitations.
However, I’ll keep an open mind and enjoy experimenting with different genres
in writing.

7) What is
your favorite part of the writing process: character development or plot
creation?

I love
creating new worlds, although character development excites me more. I enjoy
putting my characters into dangerous situations and forcing them to make
difficult choices. Watching them change and grow within a story is to me the
most thrilling part of my work.

8) What
social media network do you enjoy using to connect with readers the most?

So far, I
prefer Twitter and Goodreads.

9) If you
could collaborate with any author, (living or dead), who would it be and why?

It would have
to be my favorite crime-fiction writer Jim Thompson. I’m drawn to his brilliant
ability for exploring the minds of psychopaths and killers, as well as writing
about something that doesn’t fit a social norm. Reading his books gave me additional confidence to write what I
want and to be bold in my writing.

10) What are
your future plans for the Mind Breaker Trilogy? Any other books you are working
on outside of the trilogy?

I’m
currently preparing the third book in the Mind Breaker Trilogy, Annihilation,
for publication on Amazon. I’m also planning to soon have my books available in
paperback. At the same time, I’m working on a new YA series, Roamers from the
Darkness. A story about a shy, sixteen-year-old scavenger who must transform
into a fearless warrior in order to liberate herself and her friends out of
slavery. It’s been quite challenging, as I’ve never before worked with a female
protagonist.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/writerdystopian/?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarinaEpley

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Elimination: The Mind Breaker Trilogy Book 1 by Marina Epley Book Review:

It’s not often one finds themselves at the forefront of a fantastic new YA series, and yet that is what’s happened to this reviewer after reading author Marina Epley’s Elimination, the first in the Mind Breaker Trilogy!

First, the description.

ELIMINATION is the first novel in THE MIND BREAKER trilogy, set in a violent dystopian world where governmental forces hunt down, imprison and even kill those with psychic abilities.

Rex is an eighteen-year-old mind breaker hoping to keep a low profile. Unfortunately, he was forced to use hypnosis on criminals during an attempted bank robbery, revealing his abilities. Now considered a national threat to society, he has to flee through devastated countryside in order to remain alive. Even worse, by going on the run, he’s endangering his one and only friend Kitty, another strong hypnotist.
Rex soon realizes that together they make a vulnerable target. And the only way to save Kitty is to allow himself to be captured, thus diverting attention while his friend escapes. But nothing goes as planned, as his actions only serve to push Kitty into an even worse situation than a life sentence in prison. With his world falling apart, Rex must figure out how to fix his accumulating mistakes and regain their freedom before it’s too late.
What Rex doesn’t yet understand, is that he may soon play a major role in preventing all-out war between ordinary humans and mind breakers, a war which could lead to total extinction of the entire human race.

The dystopian future created by Epley feels so real in this first book that one expects to open their front door and see it for themselves. The complex world that protagonist Rex is forced to navigate conjures up feelings of anxiousness, fear and loneliness that can mirror parts of our world.

What really makes me love this book is how similar in plot the novel mirrors both our world and the world created by legendary comic book company Marvel, and that is the world of the X-Men. The fear of the unknown or different showcases a human tendency to judge, hate and cast out people who don’t follow the “social norm” that they create. It’s a fantastic social point made through a well written and amazingly creative novel, and I can’t wait to see more from this incredibly talented emerging author, so be sure to pick up your copy of Elimination: The Mind Breaker Trilogy #1 by Marina Epley today!

Book Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HW5AKK0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_kdFNxbQ9H5DQ9