Anomaly, an AMAZING book much like Hunger Games but with a Christian twist!

I just finished one of the most captivating books I've read in a very long time!  After forgetting I had it (I blame Tolstoy), I picked it up today while my kiddos were doing the last of their homework and I was glued to it until the last page.  I'm afraid to admit that I didn't even stop to go to the bathroom or get a drink, though I did take a short break to put my littles to bed and pray for them.

Decades before Thalli’s birth, the world was decimated by a nuclear war. But life continued deep underground, thanks to a handful of scientists known as The Ten. There they created genetically engineered human beings who are free of emotions in the hope that war won’t threaten the world again.

This book is simply amazing!  The writing style and the dystopian feel is very similar to the Hunger Games trilogy, and it seems this book will actually be the first in its own trilogy.  I am terribly impatient knowing I'll have to wait until July 2014 to read the 2nd part!  The characters are so real, the plot has twists and turns the reader does not expect, and the ending is both hopeful and a cliffhanger. 

You can read an excerpt and purchase Anomaly from Amazon here.  If you don't read any other book this year, read this one!

From the back cover:

Thalli is an anomaly, born with the ability to feel emotions and a sense of curiosity she can barely contain. She has survived so far by hiding her differences. But then her secret is discovered when she’s overwhelmed by the emotion of an ancient piece of music.

The Ten quickly schedule her annihilation, but her childhood friend, Berk - a scientist being groomed by The Ten - convinces them to postpone her death and study her instead. While in the Scientists’ Pod, Thalli and Berk form a dangerous alliance, one strictly forbidden by the constant surveillance.

As her life ticks a way, she hears rumors of someone called the Designer - someone even more powerful than The Ten. What’s more, the parts of her that have always been an anomaly could in fact be part of a much larger plan. And the parts of her that she has always guarded could be the answer she’s been looking for all along.

Thalli must sort out what to believe and who to trust, before her time runs out.

Special thanks to the people at Litfuse for providing me with this review opportunity!