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There Once Were Stars by Melanie McFarlane

Peace. Love. Order. Dome. That’s the motto that the Order has given the residents of Dome 1618 to live by. Natalia Greyes is a resident of Dome 1618, a covered city protected from the deadly radiation that has poisoned the world outside for four generations. Nat never questioned the Order, until one day she sees a stranger on the outside of her dome. Now Nat wants answers. What else might her government be hiding from the good and loyal people of Dome 1618?

My Review

5 Stars

Many years ago, during the Cleansing War, radiation was released. Domes were build so the survivors could be protected from the radiation and infected. Fast forward several years and you meet Natalie, Nat, at the age of nine. Her parents were scientists that would explore outside the dome to see if the conditions were safe. But one day Nat’s parents don’t come back from an exploration and Nat is told that the infected killed them.

Nat is now 18 years old and at the age where she will be given a job. But Nat is rebellious and finds herself sleeping in a clearing by the edge of the dome. When she wakes she finds two men standing outside the dome. One is captured and tells her that he was sent to save her from the dome. It seems that the residents of dome 1618 have not been told the complete truth and someone is going to do everything they can to keep up the façade that the dome is providing.

Since I am a huge fan of dystopian stories I couldn’t sign up fast enough to be part of the tour for There Once Were Stars. I love the setting and the premise to the story. I felt sorry for Nat. She is stuck living with her grandmother and is given a job as a director like her parents. Although she is nice and polite she does question what is happening around her and finds out there is more going on that just radiation outside the dome. I loved this story and can’t wait to read other books from Melanie McFarlane.

To purchase There Once Were Stars make sure to visit Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads and Melanie McFarlane’s website.

I received There Once Were Star for free from eBooks for Review in exchange for an honest review.