Official Review: The Oxygen Factory by Renee des Lauriers

[sybil1reader]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Oxygen Factory" by Renee des Lauriers.]

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The Oxygen Factory, by Renee des Lauriers is another book about the end of the world except this one is not quite as hopeless as some out there. The story centers around Stella, who because of her uniqueness, could be the one to set the world right again. She is a member of the outside world which is dangerous because of the infected, but she and her other ruthless gang members look out for each other. There is an entire world underground that is safe from the infected and given the choice, Stella chooses to stay on the outside. That says a lot about life underground when a group of people would rather risk their lives every day than live in yet another corrupt society. Life is about survival, that is, until she meets Gavin Owings.

Stella is walking along a beach when she encounters a body partially buried in the sand. Against her better judgment she approaches and discovers that the man, who introduces himself as Gavin, is a little dazed but otherwise fine. He is a part of an underwater society known as the Oxygen Factory and this is a strange new world that he has not seen. As the story progresses, Stella and Gavin become the heroes even though they face many dangerous situations to save not only their lives, but the lives of others as well. Stella also finds it necessary to protect Gavin from one of her own gang members as jealousy rears its ugly head.

Join in the adventure as the world topside prepares to overthrow the underground world that is full of greed and other unimaginable horrors. As the plot unfolds, you will discover just how important Stella is to all three worlds. She is able to survive topside when others cannot, the underground wants to kill her to save themselves, and the scientists in the Oxygen Factory want to use her special gift to help all mankind, but only if she does so voluntarily. As a young girl she helplessly watched as members of the underground kill her father because of the same gift that she now possesses. Does she have enough compassion to make the right decision?

Stella realizes at some point that doing the right thing is what should really matter. Based on that realization, she makes a decision that could require her life to save that of another. Her sacrifice seems to be a small thing to make if it will benefit the greater good. The underground is about to auction her off to the highest bidder as she sees the irony of her life ending not by the infected above ground, but by the very people who are supposed to protect the defenseless.

I do not normally read these types of books, but I did enjoy the love story and willingness to sacrifice aspects of it. I would like to know more about the main characters, but maybe that is something for a sequel. I also liked that the book ended with the idea of hope for a future. There are some typos that a good editor can correct, so I give it “a three out of four” and I do recommend it as an entertaining story.

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[sahmoun2778]

Thanks for a good summary and recommendation.

[CapeBretonBookLover]

sounds interesting

[LivreAmour217]

After reading The Maze Runner series, I said that I would never read dystopian-themed books again. However, this one sounds like it has promise, so I will add it to my summer reading list. Thank you for your well-written and enticing review!