The Industry by Rose Foster

Release Date: 1st April, 2012

Publisher: HarperCollins Australia

Pages: 407pgs

The Story

Kirra Hayward is an ordinary sixteen-year-old - smarter than most, but otherwise completely anonymous. When she solves an unusual decrypting puzzle on the internet to fill in a moment of boredom at school, she has no idea of what she's letting herself in for.

Kidnapped by a shadowy organisation of mercenaries known only as The Industry, Kirra soon discovers how valuable her code-breaking skills are. And when she stubbornly refuses to help them, they decide to break her . . . by any means at their disposal.

Compulsive and page-turning, The Industry is the first in a trilogy from talented debut author Rose Foster.

The Review

A big thanks to HarperCollins Australia for sending me an early manuscript of this book!

When I received my very first manuscript from HarperCollins, I was over the moon because 1) bound manuscripts are so very cool seeing in person and 2) because it was a bound manuscript of a not-yet-released 2012 book THE INDUSTRY by Rose Foster, which I couldn't wait to get my hands on. And trust me here you guys . . . this was an awesome book that I can't wait to share my thoughts on!

Who knew that cracking a code online could change everything? Well, it did for Kirra Haywood and because she solved a puzzle without a question, a week later after this ingenious brain of hers, she was kidnapped without a single trace left behind of her . . . kidnapped because of her skills and now she's in the fight for her life.

Since it's an awesome book and since it's not released until next year, I'll just briefly go through some events that occur in the book. In THE INDUSTRY our main heroine, Kirra, is pretty brainy for her age of sixteen and because she 'cracked the code', her cruel, devious and ruthless captor wants her to decipher something called the Spencer Code - where not even the most skilled individuals can solve it, which is why Kirra was chosen specifically. But how can a sixteen-year-old girl solve it when she has so little experience in the field they're in? How can she possibly become someone's new weapon when she doesn't recognize her own capabilities?

But the thing is . . . Kirra's not the only one people want. After many weeks of torture and dark imprisonment, Kirra meets a boy around her age named Milo - her new cellmate companion that is there for the same reason she is. Overall I loved the constant interactions shared between Kirra and Milo. They're both going through physical and emotional trauma, and it was pretty realisitc when it came to them forming a bond - a connection - with several months being locked away together. I could see that happening in real life because they have no one else to help them. But while it's easy to talk to someone . . . but it's harder to actually trust them. Which leaves many questions when it comes to trusting Milo because we know so little about him.

What I loved most about this book was Kirra herself. She was an easy character to grow fond of. With her future looking rather bleak and controlled, she never allowed the bad guys to break her spirit and she 'kind of' reminded me of Hunger Games's Katniss - her strength mostly, which will appeal to a lot of readers when they get a chance to read this book next year. Another fond character of mine was Milo. Sure he was a stubborn-and-sometimes-annoying character, but he was a necessary character to have, because he gave Kirra the strength she needed and he was another reason to make her continue in survival, something or rather someone else to fight for. And after I finished this book, I'm looking forward to reading more about his and Kirra's character, because the way Rose Foster left the ending of this first installment, I'm sure there's more surrounding these characters of hers and they still have far more to learn and develop in this potential series. Plus did I mention there's plenty of kick-ass action sequences . . . ones that are almost cinematic? Yes. Indeed this will please readers.

THE INDUSTRY is an addictive, fast-paced, sometimes witty, over-the-edge thriller that will keep you on constant alert and make you wonder what's going to happen next to our Kirra and the fate of mankind. Even with some untrusting alliances, some gun-to-gun action, or simply good old torture with a lesson waiting to be learned, you will never know what to expect when it comes to Rose Foster's epic writing! There's never a moment where I'm left bored because Foster gives you a special dose of rushing adrenaline that will make you fight to stay awake until reaching the end of this book. Be sure to check out other reviews on THE INDUSTRY at the book's facebook page and make sure you mark your calendars - boys and girls - next year for this book! It's going to be a blast when its comes closer to the release day!

The Rating

4 1/2 / 5 stars