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Michelle Isenhoff
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Recompense Kindle Edition

by Michelle Isenhoff (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 274 ratings
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In a nation built upon lies, the truth is a dangerous secret.

Born into Capernica's lowest social tier and not permitted to leave Settlement 56, Jaclyn (Jack) Holloway refuses to pour out her years in the local fish cannery. She gambles on the one chance available to her to advance--the high school Exit Exam. In a country that still keenly remembers its own violent birth, the smartest and strongest are richly rewarded in exchange for military service. Jack is adamant that her best friend, Will Ransom, strives for induction with her, but Will is tied to the sea. Would he give it up for her? He's never so much as kissed her.

Meanwhile, a string of abductions breaks out across the nation, targeting girls eerily similar to Jack. She is secretly recruited by Axis, an intelligence organization investigating the disappearances. Working in tandem with the handsome Captain Ethan Alston, Jack finds she has an unusual proclivity for the case. The evidence leads them back forty-seven years, to a series of high-profile cover-ups linked to the creation of the new nation, but nothing prepares them for the faces that emerge from the past. Jack and Ethan must make a crucial decision. Blowing the whistle could have grave consequences, but holding their silence means history will likely repeat. Could Capernica survive a second reckoning?

A startling tale where past and present intertwine, fusing at the point of revolution. Have time to binge read? You've found your next dystopian indulgence.

This series is complete.
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  1. Book 1 of 6
    Recompense
  2. Print length
    359 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publication date
    January 18, 2018
  6. File size
    5061 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
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  10. See all details
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Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07952TSHL
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Michelle Isenhoff (January 18, 2018)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 18, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 5061 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 359 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 274 ratings

About the author

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Michelle Isenhoff

Michelle Isenhoff

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MICHELLE ISENHOFF's work has been reader-nominated for a Cybils Award, the Great Michigan Read, and the Maine Student Book Award. She's also placed as a semi-finalist in the Kindle Book Review Book Awards, a finalist in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards, and earned multiple Readers' Favorite 5 Star seals of approval. A former teacher and longtime homeschooler, Michelle has written extensively in the children's genre and been lauded by the education community for the literary quality of her work. These days, she writes full time in the adult historical fiction and speculative fiction genres. To keep up with new releases, sign up for her newsletter at http://hyperurl.co/new-release-list.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
274 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Nathaniel Wyckoff
5.0 out of 5 stars A Gripping Tale Set in an Alternate World
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2018
Verified Purchase
This story was a lot of fun, combining elements of the common, familiar world with a not-too-rosy vision of the future. In the world of the Recompense series, North American civilization has already decayed in a dystopian manner. Although a number of impressive technological innovations have been developed (mainly projections of real-life emerging 21st-century technologies), they are generally accessible only to upper-class society. In fact, the United States is not even called the “United States” anymore; it’s been renamed “Capernica,” and parts of the country are no longer even populated. The country is now led by a dictatorial governor who seems benevolent, and the population has been artificially stratified into a caste system.The only realistic way to improve one’s lot is to join the military by passing a grueling set of physical and scholastic exams at the end of high school.

Against this backdrop, a young woman named Jaclyn Holloway and her friend, Will Ransom, train strenuously for their military exam. When Will passes and Jaclyn fails by hairsbreadth, Jaclyn is crushed; the two must now separate for many years. Things get strange for Jaclyn when a secretive, quasi-governmental agency called “Axis” recruits her to be a military-style operative. With a military partner named Ethan, Jack gets involved in a dangerous mission to stop a series of kidnappings. Young women throughout the country have mysteriously vanished, and Jack and Ethan must find and thwart the criminals responsible.

Much of the story moves at a cracking pace. Jack’s military boot-camp training was fun to read from a comfy chair. There are daring rescue scenes that are well-crafted, effective cliffhangers, and some nicely done twists and surprises. Isenhoff’s characters have depth; they are presented as real people with real lives, stories, emotions, and struggles.

I also enjoyed the theme of family togetherness. It’s a perspective that must be emphasized more in books for young people. Jack misses her family terribly while away from them, despite that she grew up in impoverished, difficult circumstances. The allure of the big city, with all of its luxuries, does not draw her in.

In addition, I appreciated the refinement of language. Isenhoff chose to avoid curse words, explicit descriptions of intimate relations, and the like. There were times when I thought, “I hope she doesn’t go there...” and, thankfully, she didn’t.

Recompense is a novel that can be enjoyed on many levels. I look forward to its sequels.
13 people found this helpful
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dbayly
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting post apocalyptic story
Reviewed in the United States on March 18, 2019
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Its a YA book, which I tend to avoid these days, as I am bored with the viewpoint of a super accomplished 18 yr old. This book does't fall into many of the traps such books do, and the arc story is certainly different. The writing is well paced, the main characters drawn well. There's a love triangle developing, but is not too intrusive. Overall I enjoyed it and there's a lot fo arc story to develop.
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ladyofghostpines
5.0 out of 5 stars An intriguing and imaginative dystopian world!
Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2019
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How to describe this book?
Dystopian, yes, but with hints of Jack and the Beanstalk. Heh. It is, in some ways, a typical dystopian with Hunger Games vibes and a love triangle, yet it avoids the aspects of that series I liked least. The heroine is strong and driven, and she struggles in many relatable ways. I appreciate her loyalty, focus, and initiative. She is strong despite a rough childhood, largely due to the love of her foster mother and adopted siblings, and her longtime friendship with Will--people whose love works as anchors in her life. I also appreciate her working relationships with Ethan and her other co-workers. There is violence, but it is not graphic, and there is romance, but it is sweet. Yes, as I mentioned, there is a love triangle, but overall I would say our heroine handles a difficult situation well.
This is the first in a 5-book series, but it is FREE, so you can easily get a taste of the writer's style and fall in love with her world. The opening is rather slow, mostly set-up of Jack's life and the dystopian world, but once she leaves home and starts discovering mysteries, it picks up its pace and gets exciting.
I'm currently reading book 2, so you know I liked it a lot! If you enjoy a bit of dystopian fantasy and like your books clean and not depressing, be sure to give this series a try!
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Jillian Cori Lippert
5.0 out of 5 stars I highly recommend this entire series!
Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2018
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I am so happy to have found this author! I've read all the books available in the series so far and I can barely wait for the last to come out. The characters are very likable (except the ones who aren't supposed to be) and are well developed. There is good world building with a fairly unique premise, gates that connect our world with another. The author did a good job of describing things without going into too much detail. I could really picture the scenes in my mind. The dialog flowed and was believable. I'm a grammar Nazi but was very pleased with the editing of the book. I was frequently on the edge of my seat when reading this book, which resulted in staying up much too late a few nights when I had work the next day, as well as coming back from lunch a bit late because I just had to finish the chapter or sometimes go on to the next. Buy this book and the entire series. You won't be disappointed.
3 people found this helpful
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cloudbird
5.0 out of 5 stars Isenhoff can rock any genre, and dystopian is no exception!
Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2018
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I'm a huge Isenhoff fan. I've read her Asian-style dragon fantasy series and her Civil War historical novels, and every single time, I'm blown away by her skillful, lyrical use of language. Even knowing that, I wondered how all of her talent would translate into the dystopian medium. How could I have doubted for a second?! Oh my gosh, this book is beautiful and powerful, full of emotion and intrigue. It's nothing like I imagined--and it's so much better!!!

The title and the image on the front don't really give useful clues, but this is the story of Jaclyn "Jack", an orphan with a troubled past, who has come to place her hopes for herself and her adoptive family upon going "Military"--something only the most elite scholars and athletes can obtain in the highly regimented and oppressive society of Capernica. Things don't turn out the way she'd planned, but she ends up exactly where she was needed most, and we learn that there is much more to her than a feisty, strong-willed young woman. I am super excited to see where Jack takes us, and how she and her new friends will restore hope to humanity.
4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

PeterR
5.0 out of 5 stars Mystery, Fantasy, this has it all
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 6, 2019
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I really didnt think I would like this book, let alone buy into the series, but it has me hooked, and I want more. Jack, Will, and Ethan are really great characters, written and described well. Their lives and how they interact and how Jack's story gets unviled (well almost) is really well crafted.
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David Powers
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent story and characters
Reviewed in Australia on January 5, 2021
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This is a solid entry in the Hitech SciFi realm. Not a lot of science in there, but nor is it overt fantasy. It's technically got a dystopian setting, but again doesn't fall into all the standard tropes but proceeds with considerable subtlety. The characters are YA and there is a Coming of Age aspect, but they are pretty sensible with an appropriate level of maturity, as well as the odd points of fallibility and lack of assurance.

So all up: good premise, good plot, good characters, good development, good storytelling...

I'll look forward to reading more of Michelle's work, and this series.
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Carolina Chickadee
4.0 out of 5 stars Creative Story Line
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 5, 2020
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The story was enjoyable - creative in plot. The characters were mostly likable; however, they seemed a little “too perfect” at times. The book held my interest. The story line with a little bit of science fiction/fantasy twist requires temporary suspension of disbelief. I though the author cleverly wove in other elements and tidbits that helped to add depth (or believability).
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P. Matthews
5.0 out of 5 stars Good, action pack read
Reviewed in Australia on January 24, 2021
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This is a well written story, action packed. The heroine is gutsy with nice ethics. I'm not a fan of the love triangle, but I'll have to wait and see who she chooses.
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Amanda Phillips
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read
Reviewed in Australia on August 2, 2019
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Recompense was a really enjoyable read. The world building and character development were excellent and the main characters believable and very easy to respond to. I'm truly looking forward to reading more from Michelle Isenhoff.
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