Liz* ~ Procrastinator Extraordinaire

I'm always looking for a mind-blowing, action-packed dystopia. So I saw the opportunity to read The Moon Dwellers (The Dwellers, #1) by David Estes and I took it. There were a lot of things I loved about this book and there were some that didn't work for me, that's why I'm giving it 3.5 stars, but I have to say that I really enjoyed it and it was a pleasant surprise.

The dystopian world David Estes created was amazing, the idea of an underground civilization is both fantastic and damn scary, right? They were separated in three social stratum: Sun dwellers, Moon dwellers and Star dwellers. Kinda cool actually, being the Sun dwellers the higher of this three and the most powerful. Adele, a moon dweller and MC of the story, is a brave, logical and badass sixteen year old girl. I have to say that I enjoyed a lot her first chapters in the Pen. The way she tried to analyze everything, the kids, the foes and friends, the future. But as the story went by, it was a little hard for me to really connect with her. The same was for Tristan, he is incredible brave and wants desperately to be different and make some good, but it was a little hard to get him and his quest.

Which brings me to the key element here: the not Insta-love connection they had at first sight, because this connection was the cataclysm of everything that would happen next. Both Tristan and Adele felt this weird physical pain the first time they met, so after giving it some thought, they decided to find each other to ask what all that was about. Here it is when you could feel a little conflicted because in order to keep reading and find yourself captivated by the story you'll need to believe that in fact there is something bigger than just physical attraction between this two. If it's not, how could you justify risking your life for someone you don't know at all? And I tried to keep thinking that way till the end of the book but to be honest, I didn't feel satisfied with the scarce answers I got.

They became fugitives, and there's a lot of running and hiding and more running. Here is when we got to know some fantastic characters. My favorite was Cole [why, David?? why?? I mean... I was even preparing myself for a love triangle maybe? but then Cole died and I'm not sure why I felt so sad! u.u] and Roc, both loyal and bold. I think Cole was an exquisite character, her past was so damn sad, I mean, while he was telling his story all I could feel was sorry for him and at the same time admiration for his courage and ability to move on. I was totally shipping Cole/Adele! The "truth/Lie" scene was cool and the waterfall scene was so funny. [WHY Cole??I have this idea that maybe Cole is not dead but was captured by Tristan's brother...] I LOVED the cannibal scene! Roc's sarcasm was so funny and his relationship with Tristan was so cute, like two brothers fighting all the time^^

I'm not a fan of multiple POVs, they don't always work out like they should, but I have to say that Estes really made it work. Like at the end of a chapter, he ended it with a freaking cliffhanger but then there was the other MC to pick up where everything ended and I was in the edge of the chair waiting to know what would happen. Kudos for that.

Another thing that I didn't get was Cole and Tawni's willingness to help Adele just because. I didn't get why Adele's dad send her in this new mission, they just found each other! why all this rush? why he didn't go? Who is behind the mysterious bombards? What's really the connection between Adele's mom and Tristan? Is Tawni hiding something? Are the answers in the second book??!! I need it right now!

I'd like to read The Stars Dwellers to find out what's gonna happen. There's definitely something going on, definitely someone is pulling the strings here. I have the suspicion we're gonna here about both Adele's mom and Tristan's mom as well.