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    ACID
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    ACID
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    ACID
    Audiobook10 hours

    ACID

    Written by Emma Pass

    Narrated by Nicholas Guy Smith, Suzan Crowley and Fiona Hardingham

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    2113. In Jenna Strong's world, ACID — the most brutal, controlling police force in history — rule supreme. No throwaway comment or muttered dissent goes unnoticed — or unpunished. And it was ACID agents who locked Jenna away for life, for a bloody crime she struggles to remember.

    The only female inmate in a violent high-security prison, Jenna has learned to survive by any means necessary. And when a mysterious rebel group breaks her out, she must use her strength, speed and skill to stay one step ahead of ACID — and to uncover the truth about what really happened on that dark night two years ago.

    A Random House UK audio production.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRandom House UK Audio
    Release dateJun 4, 2015
    ISBN9781448197279
    Unavailable
    ACID
    Author

    Emma Pass

    Emma Pass grew up in Surrey and has been making up stories for as long as she can remember. She wrote her first novel – a sequel to Jurassic Park – when she was 13 in maths lessons with her notebook hidden under her work. She previously worked as a library assistant and has published two novels for young adults and a non-fiction creative writing e-guide. In 2020 she was commissioned to create a poetry-film for the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site. She is now a full-time writer, creative writing teacher, editor and mentor. She has ME and, at the age of 40, was diagnosed as being on the autistic spectrum. Emma lives in Derbyshire with her artist husband and a very naughty retired racing greyhound called Auburn. When shes not writing she loves to read and knit (often at the same time).

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    Reviews for ACID

    3.5/5

    70 ratings15 reviews

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    • 2/5
      This is an fast-paced, action-packed book set 100 years from now. Jenna is a smart, tough, resilient, no nonsense protagonist who finds herself continually trying to out-smart and escape the government agency, A.C.I.D. While the world building is believable, I did think that the plot was a bit repetitive with Jenna being caught, then escaping numerous times throughout the story. Also, I wish the author had spent more time developing the first part of the book when Jenna was in prison - she had escaped by the end of the second chapter. The plot started solidly, but it did lose its momentum near the middle, although it picked up again near the end. The finish felt rushed, but it is obvious that the author has at least one sequel in mind, if not more. Don't think I'll bother though.
    • 5/5
      Acid by Emma Pass is a great sci-fi book in a world where the government is like it is in "1984" on steroids! Super controlling, corrupt Big Brother government that does what it wants to anyone at anytime. There are two factions fighting the government, each in its own way. One tries to help our gal of the story, Jenna, the other tries forcing her help. Jenna was imprisoned for life for a crime she didn't commit but gets out. Now she knows the truth. Lots of suspense, intrigue, action, surprises, twists, and great writing. Loved it. Scary how some of this tech-knowledge is around now.
    • 4/5
      ACID sounds amazing - a kick-butt girl, a dystopian society, a search for secrets buried in the past. While its an engaging read, set in a dystopian UK and following a rebellion to overthrow the controlling government, ACID is severely let down by its complicated plot-line. I think it could have been a much stronger book if the loose ends had been tied up.Jenna Strong is a great character who can take care of herself in any situation. The book begins with her beating the crap out of a fellow prisoner, and it's immediately obvious that this is not a girl you can mess with.Although, I'm still mystified at why she's the only female prisoner in an all-male prison. It feels like the author is saying that in this society, all the high risk prisoners are male, except for Jenna, which is ridiculous. Also, a change in surname might have been good; it's a bit of a cop-out of you have a strong female character and name her 'Strong' so no one can possibly miss it?Jenna goes through a lot in this book, and I think for the first third or so, I really liked her. She thinks through all her decisions, proves she's intelligent and aware of the consequences of her actions. It all goes downhill for her the moment she meets Max Fisher.Max is a fairly bland character. Aside from the attraction Jenna had towards him, I can't actually figure out whether there was anything special about him. He's just ... there. However, when Jenna meets him, she starts to change into someone else. She doesn't immediately fall for him, which I liked, but somehow, protecting Max makes her soft. They meet a rebelling force, who are hell-bent on destroying ACID and their supporters, but this avenue is never explored, with the author choosing to focus on how much Jenna and Max want to kiss one another. Jenna suddenly can't negotiate with enemies or think straight when they're on the run, and eventually ends up making silly decisions that result in their capture.I really like the dystopian world that has been created in this book, where a normal police force has taken over a whole country after a financial melt-down that destroyed the government. We get short glimpses into what life is like in other countries, which always makes me happy. I think the way the story is told, with newspaper articles, letters and transcripts of conversations between ACID agents interleaved throughout, is clever. It allows readers a more rounded view of the action than a book normally provides. However, ACID comes across as vaguely stupid. Although the author tries very hard to make them terrifying, I can't really understand how they managed to lose Jenna so many times, and how incompetent they seemed to be at keeping track of her and other rebels.The plot fails to deliver in ACID - it's convoluted and there are a myriad of lost plotting elements throughout. After a daring rescue from a prison, Jenna is given a new face and identity and assimilated back into society with a LifePartner, Cade (ACID chooses everyone's spouses, jobs and when they can have children). However, Cade just disappears from the story, which was weird. Then it happened again, with Jordan and then Evan! I don't get it, all these boys come and go in the story, usually adding nothing and just taking up space. Jenna's experiences are haphazard and almost non-sensical - she goes through three faces, four names, and two LifePartners in this book. Again, I had a feeling that it's just too easy for people to hide from ACID, who supposedly know everything and monitor everyone.I enjoyed reading ACID, with its kick-arse heroine and interesting dystopia, but found the plot to be incomprehensible. Overall, I feel like ACID could have been a much stronger book if all its elements tied together a lot better. There are hints at a sequel, which could be exciting - I would read a sequel set in this world if the issues in plotting were addressed.A copy of this book was provided by the publisher for review.You can read more of my reviews at Speculating on SpecFic.
    • 3/5
      Rubbish. Utter bore. Regret wasting time reading this. It starts off great, jenna strong is in prison and she's hard as nails. They break her out and she's as boring as snails. Stumbling from one character to another to incite excitement but fails miserably. At the end, her mum is dying in the next room but she makes out with her boyfriend and sleeps well! Give me a break!
    • 4/5
      Overall, this was a great book. The twists and turns of the plot kept me hooked and the fact that Jenna didn't even know everything about her past or even her present was very intriguing.The copy that I read from was an ARC, so there were a few typos, but they weren't terrible and were easily overlooked since the story was so good.The only thing that really bothered me was the line at the end of the book "And best of all, we know that no one's going to walk in on us when we're kissing on my bed and he's got his hands under my shirt, or when I've got mine under his." Ugh...seriously? That does not help the story in the least...Also, as a friend on Goodreads mentioned, this is a dystopian novel, but set OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES. So...that's unusual and refreshing.
    • 3/5
      Acid is about a corrupt government that forces people in to prearranged marriages and imprisons people on a whim. When Jenna Strong is convicted of her parent's murder, she end up in the last place she ever imagined. Prison. She used the experience to grow stronger, and that is a good thing. When a prison riot presents her with the opportunity to escape, it takes everything she's got to survive.Much like other popular dystopian books, Jenna represents a strong, bright teen put through indescribable horror and survives. That is the good stuff. The bad stuff is she spend more time running and depending on others to control her world than she does taking care of herself. At no point in the book do I ever feel she really owns up to her Joan of Arc role. I think the author meant for her to mature into that role, but it didn't feel natural. Even so, people who enjoyed the Hunger Games and Matched series will want find this book appealing.
    • 4/5
      I really liked it. I actually found the audio book on scribd and it was really fun to listen to because it has different formats like Sadie by Courtney Summers. The story also reminded me of Delirum by Lauren Oliver.
    • 3/5
      Fast-paced read in a true dystopian future -- the police state of britain about 50 years out. The heroine is fierce, the plot twists and turns and it moves right along. I suspect that I know where book 2 is heading, and I'm not sure I'll read it -- as a stand-alone it's pretty great.
    • 4/5
      This one drew me in and kept me reading but there were moments that didn't quite gel for me.The story starts in a prison where we meet Jenna Strong, shaven head, "fuck off" tattoo and as the sole girl in a prison run by ACID (Agency for Chrime Investigation and Defence) who run the Independent Republic of Britain. You're thrown straight into things at the start where she's smuggled into prison and her life is about to change, along with her face.Surgery is used quite casually in this story, the romance was shallow and not very memorable, it almost felt tacked in, he felt more like a friend than a true romance. The history of how Britain ended up under the thumb of ACID isn't clear and would make an interesting read.Having said all this I was swept up by the story and it wasn't until I thought back for this review that I realised that there were niggles. It's an interesting story and I want to read more by this author.
    • 3/5
      ACID is a kick-ass sci-fi thriller set in a future dystopian England. Jenna Strong (a great protagonist name!) leads the way in this action-packed debut novel about identity, equality, and oppression. I absolutely loved the premise of this story. The 1984-esque, Orwellian setting of 2113 London is fascinating, and a little bit scary. Jenna's place in it is at a maximum-security prison - not where our female protagonists usually start out in a dystopian novel! In the first third of the book things move quickly, and I really liked the book. However, once Jenna (also known as Mia at this point), gets caught up with a small rebel group the action slows, the plot drags, and I lost interest. The action and mystery and heart-pounding moments turned to bland description, a lot of "telling" the plot instead of showing, and a serious lack of feeling between any of the characters. Jenna's struggle to survive, escape ACID, help her new friend Max, and discover the secrets of a violent rebel group keep the plot moving faster and faster. ACID is a brutal organization that controls all of the IBR - what was once the United Kingdom. I liked how intense and scary ACID was. Their absolute military control, the way their agendas escalated so quickly and threatened to tear Jenna's world right out from under here - they were all-powerful and a great antagonistic group. The small grassroots rebel group, NAR, was a nice, and honestly realistic, contrast to the behemoth ACID. However, the FREE group (can't say anything else cause spoilers!) wasn't nearly developed enough until the very last second. I wanted more from them, I wanted detail, I wanted to feel for them and root for them, and the story simply didn't make that happen.Jenna's being paired up with Max Fisher is a great twist. They budding romance is sweet and honest. It is also dry, lacking passion, and frankly, a little boring. I wanted more between them. I wanted sparks, I wanted them seeing red and falling for each other. All I got was a couple of awkward moments and longing glances. So, the romance was disappointing.Overall this was a great debut with a lot of promise, but it fell short in the quality writing department. Less description, more emotion, and a lot of problems with telling instead of showing could really have improved the novel. Regardless, I would recommend it for fans of The Hunger Games, Divergent, Revolution 19, and other YA sci-fi stories.
    • 4/5
      Jenna Strong, Mia Richardson, Jessica Stone, Jessica Denbrough...it's no wonder that Jenna has a hard time getting all of her memories straight. She's a threat to the Agency for Crime Investigation and Defense so they frame her for the murder of her parents and force her to undergo cognitive realignment which replaces the memories they want her to have instead of the real ones. When she is broken out of prison and set up with a new life in a modern version of a witness protection program the thing they intentionally forget to do is keep her in the loop and make sure she knows her purpose in their plan. When she gets identified accidentally while helping the son of the man who helped her escape from jail, she and Max are forced to go on the run and end up with a terrorist group determined to bring down ACID. When she refuses to be part of their plot, the leader, Jacob, turns her in to Acid who realign her brain once again. Won't spoil the ending. A thoroughly enjoyable read.
    • 4/5
      I came across this book whilst browsing on Netgalley, initially the cover caught my eye immediately, the plot sounded a little blah, so I figured what the hell, and put in a request, thinking I most likely wouldn't be approved anyway. A week or so later I saw Acid in the YA section of a local bookshop on a buy one get one half price deal, so I picked it up and bought it. And wouldn't you know....I got home to an email from Netgalley saying we have approved your request to view this title. Oh well.

      Either way, it turned out to be one of the most awesome dystopians I've read in ages. I have a love/hate relationship with dystopian fiction....I either love it or hate it and half of the ones I've read I end up giving up on. Acid was a page grabber right from the start. Faced paged with action and a gripping main character from the get go the story was off to a fantastic start.

      While it irked me to no end that a female bad ass was in an all male prison, I was able to get past it and not let it bother me too much. I see no reason why it would have detracted from the character or plot to put her in a female population prison. It wouldn't have made Jenna any less strong or bad ass to learn to take care of herself in her situation.

      The story took off with a bang, and kept going with lots of questions and very little answers to what was happening. There were so many twists and turns it was impossible to figure out what was going to happen. Jenna was a pretty fantastic main character, thrown in prison for the supposed murder of her parents, by ACID, a brutal police force controlling the UK of the future. After being mysteriously freed and dropped into another new life, nothing seemed to be smooth sailing for her. On the run things go from bad to worse and it doesn't help that she ends up being caught up with the son of someone who died helping her escape and has to add trying to keep him from finding out.

      Just when things are looking up for them...of course things go hideously wrong and Jenna is exposed. And back on the roller coaster of trying to escape from ACID. She's smart at least and knows how to take care of herself and doesn't act like a simpering idiot when it comes to the boy she gets entangled with. No insta-love, no obvious romance, just hints at a possibility. Which I did actually like, a romantic subplot wouldn't have it in with the adrenaline pumping pace of the novel.

      The conclusion was surprising and one I didn't see coming, but it did have an actual ending. One storyline wasn't tied up nearly as much as it should have been, but I suppose that leaves options for a sequel some time in the future.
    • 4/5
      Pros: quick paced, interesting protagonist, several plot twists, minor romantic elementsCons: elements of the ending were problematicFor Parents: kissing, violence, nothing graphic Seventeen year old Jenna Strong has spent the last 2 years in prison for the murder of her parents, agents of ACID (Agency for Crime Investigation and Defense), because she didn’t like the boy they’d picked to be her LifePartner. Sprung by a mysterious organization for reasons she doesn’t understand, her life outside quickly goes downhill.Jenna’s an interesting character in that she’s sympathetic for readers, but apparently quite prickly to people around her in the book. She’s standoffish and quickly alienates several of the people trying to help her, though in her defense, she’s given little reason to trust the people helping her. She’s pretty street smart, though she does make some decisions that cause her serious problems. While I saw a few plot twists coming the book goes in a lot of directions I did not anticipate, making it a fun book to read.There are minor romantic elements that enhance what’s happening with Jenna without becoming the focus of the story. And while there is some kissing, there’s no other sexual content.There’s a variety of violence in the book (which involves some prison scenes, an interrogation, bombing and more) nothing is graphically described. Part of the ending required Jenna to be an angry teen who doesn’t care that the adults around her know more about what’s happening than she does and are better prepared than she is, just that they’re not doing what she wants, which was kind of annoying. It also depended on an adult making some very stupid decisions, which I questioned while I was reading. Having said that, I did like the ultimate resolution.It’s a quick paced book with some very tense moments.
    • 5/5
      ACID is the Agency for Crime Investigation and Defense. In this dystopian teen romance, they rule the Independent Republic of Britain with an iron fist, sans the velvet glove. Things are actually so bad that the Brits are looking to continental Europe as a shining beacon of freedom!Aimed at teen girls, adult SF readers might find too much teen romance and not enough emphasis on the society portrayed. However, this first novel is well written, and I’d recommend you give it a try. Anyone who enjoyed Hunger Games or Divergent, will want to meet Jenna Strong. There are hints of a sequel in the ending.
    • 5/5
      I got a copy of this to review through the Amazon Vine program. Honestly I was drawn to this book because of the awesome cover and the synopsis that promised an action-packed novel. Then when I figured out it was another YA dystopian read I was a bit worried...I am kind of sick of that genre right now. However, I was pleasantly surprised...I really really loved this book. It was incredibly engaging and very fast-paced.In 2113 ACID rules the world, they are a military police-like organization that is ruling what used to be Great Britain. Jenna Strong has been sent to prison for life by ACID for murdering her parents. Then suddenly Jenna finds herself broken out of prison by a rebel group. She gets a new identity and a new agenda. While she is grateful to be out of prison Jenna is still struggling to figure out what is really going on and who is really on her side.I actually really enjoyed this dystopian science fiction thriller. The book is really well written and flows well. It is also absolutely packed with action and impossible to put down...I read the whole thing in two sittings.Jenna is one of the toughest heroines I have ever read about. She spends most of her time in prison lifting weights and exercising and it has left her extremely buff. She gets ample chances to us her skills on all of the other male inmates. Not only is she physically tough but she is emotionally tough too. This poor heroine goes through more awful things than any character should ever have to deal with. She is one of those characters that I admire but would never ever want to trade places with.She’s surrounded by a lot of other interesting characters. Although I will say I think the side characters were probably the weakest part of this book. Because the whole book is told from Jenna’s POV, the side characters are a bit underdeveloped and at times lack depth.Jenna does have a love interest, I won’t say much about him because of spoilers. I did enjoy how their relationship developed and how mature they both were about everything in the end. While this relationship drives some of the story, this is definitely not a romance heavy book.The book is seriously fast-paced and incredibly engaging. There were parts where I literally had to put the book down for a second because it was so intense that I was out of breath. The story just sucks you in and doesn’t let up.As far as the dystopian world here, it is pretty typical of other dystopian worlds we’ve read about. People are forced to Life Partner with people the government chooses for them and they are forced to work the jobs the government thinks they are best suited for. A lot of freedoms have been taken away. As with all Dystopians the government is hiding a lot of dirty secrets. I didn’t feel like the world was really anything spectacular, but it was still decently done. This story is definitely action driven and it is Jenna’s pure will to survive and her ability to make things work for her, that really make this a great read. I also loved that the story appear to be confined to this one book. Everything is tied up in a realistic way and there weren’t really any ends left hanging at the end of the story.Overall I was really surprised at how much I loved this book because I am a bit worn out on dystopian types of book. I loved Jenna’s character and I loved the fast pace of the book. The book was action packed, engaging, and had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Definitely recommended if you are looking for an action-packed dystopian thriller. I will be keeping an eye on Emma Pass and checking out what she writes next.