THE BREEDERS STORIES - THE BREEDERS SERIES BY KATIE FRENCH

Title: The Breeder Stories

Series: The Breeders Series

Author: Katie French

Genre: Post Apocalyptic, Dystopian

Release Date: 17th June 2017

BLURB from Goodreads

Four stories set in the world of the bestselling YA dystopian romance series, The Breeders, including one completely new story Plan B, Part Two. 

Nessa: Eighteen-year-old Nessa knows what it's like to be an endangered species. Growing up in a dying world where nine out of ten babies are born male, she survives by trusting no one. When Marlin, the nineteen-year-old gunslinger with the sky-blue eyes, kills the man who has been keeping her enslaved, Nessa decides this handsome stranger might be her meal ticket. What she doesn't realize is love is still possible, even in their decimated world. When Nessa discovers she's pregnant with Marlin's child, her difficult life now teeters on a knife's edge. 

Clay: When Clay's younger brother is killed, everyone thinks Clay's to blame. His father won't look at him, the hired guns don't respect him, and Clay can't live with himself. A dangerous mission presents itself, and Clay jumps at the opportunity, knowing it might be his only chance to win Pa's favor. But the job's so dangerous even Pa won't ride along. Can Clay prove himself and earn his guns before someone puts a bullet between his eyes? 

Plan B: When Nolan is selected as one of few candidates lucky enough to work in the Breeders' hospital, he thinks all his troubles are over. Now he can afford precious medicine to save his ailing father. He's heard of the Breeders' cruelty, of their inhuman experiments, but he's sure they're all lies. Then he stumbles into the Plan B room and learns how truly awful the Breeders can be. 

Plan B, Part Two: With the rescue mission complete, Nolan finds himself on the road with Kindy, the girl from the Plan B room. But she is not at all what he expected.

REVIEW

I purchased this book collection even though I had previously read all the other novellas except Plan B part two. Yep! That how addictive and how much ?i love this book series. If you love the post apocalyptic, and dystopian genres this series is a must read for you!

I guess the easiest wait to review this collection is to add my previous reviews of the individual novellas then add the Plan B part two review. But first I have to say, I love the cover, it really pulls the series together and it portrays the feel of the books very well. The whole thing of the woman on the cover being trapped, yet peering out of a broken window

Nessa

Lets just say that Nessa hasn’t had a great start in life, then when Marlin comes along she doesn’t know whether to trust this handsome rugged guy or maybe try and use him to stay away from the Breeders. Maybe this guy Marlin can protect her, he is a pretty good shot with a gun.

All seems to be going well, hiding out form the Breeders, kept safe by Marlin, al be it in a strange and not so nice place to be staying. Then Nessa finds out she is pregnant. . . will Marlin want a baby? What if he doesn’t will he sell her to the Breeders? How can she run from the Breeders when she is physically too big to run?

This short novella is written in the same well written style and fast pace as the book The Breeders. I loved it. Without giving spoilers its difficult to explain the other reason I loved it, Mmm lets just say you learn more about two characters who are in The Breeders in this novella and lots of questions are answered as well as you being given the reasons for their maybe strange actions in The Breeders. You definitely need to read The Breeders first and then this novella. Reading the novella would give you too much knowledge when you got to a certain part in The Breeders when you “meet” Nessa.

Clay

This novella as you will guess from it's name is all about Clay. We meet Clay as a younger boy, and learn more about what made him the way he is. We witness the whole incident where Clay and his younger brother Cole, went out and sadly Cole never made it back. It's the incident that certainly still haunts Clay throughout this series. Marlin Tate makes it well known to anyone and everyone around    You also get a closer look at Clay and His father Marlin's relationship. The way Marlin belittle's his son for learning to read, to the point of sadistically stepping and crunching Clay's hard sought after glasses. Marlin call's him sissy boy, pansy-arsed and a four eyed freak! what Clay has to do to be accepted by his fathers men. I loved the luxury of the closer look at Clay, his character and what has made him the person he is now. When reading this novella, the reader learns where Clay developed his protective streak, how he attempted to shield the housekeeper Martha from his father's drunken rages, often putting himself in the eye of the target to deflect his fathers vengeance. 

I really enjoyed reading more about Clay, the novella explains quite a lot, especially how and why he slowly coaxed Riley into trusting him.  Though I have to admit to already having a soft spot for Clay's character.

Plan B part one

The main characters in this novella are Nolan a young man who unusually (in this societies present state is hardly ever heard of) is still living with his ailing father. The illness Nolan's father is suffering from is "wet lung" which is basically a death sentence for the sufferer. Nolan's father is in fact only 42 years old, but thanks to the hard lives people now live he looks nearer to 62 years old! Nolan thinks, if only he can get a decent, stable job, he will be able to afford better food for both himself and his father and perhaps with the extra money he could maybe buy medicine for his father too. The other idea Nolan has that if he gets a job working for the Breeders at their hospital, maybe they will know and give him a cure for his father. This is why Nolan and his father are standing in line waiting to be allowed into the courtyard of the Breeders hospital.

One one hand Nolan is praying and wishing to be chosen to work here but on the other hand he is petrified by the thought of working for the Breeders. Nolan has heard many horror stories about the Breeders from "they eat babies" to "they suck the marrow outta the bones" etc etc. The hospital is a symbol of prosperity, possible comfort and yet also a symbol to be afraid of. 

A woman appears in the courtyard which is an highly unusual sight. Free women are extremely rare, in fact for the majority of the males gathered in the courtyard this woman in front of them is the only one they have ever seen! This woman has a guard with a gun, to each side of her, presumably for protection, but this is no weak, fragile woman. The woman is wearing red high heeled shoes, and is dressed in a blood red suit and matching finger nails too. The woman's auburn hair is severely slicked back and fastened with a clip in the shape of the Breeders Logo, the very same one all breeder girls and women are tattooed with. The woman's eyes are ice cold blue and are already calculating the scene and people around her. The woman announces there are just three vacancies available, she orders the crowd to line up in an orderly fashion, and kind of like little sheep, they follow her orders. It is almost an hour after the interview process begins that Nolan is in front of the powerful woman he now knows as Dr Vandewater. Two of the job vacancies have been filled. Two men have been given a golden ticket each, meaning there is only one golden ticket left. Nolan sort of gets through the interview in a muddled dazed state and is a mixture of surprised and shocked when he is given the third and final golden ticket! Though Nolan is grateful for the ticket he cannot stop himself asking Why him? Dr Vandewater answers him by saying she likes an "employee that has something to lose". In other words Dr Vandewater has already worked out that Nolan's father is his weakness.

It's whilst working as a cleaner in the hospital facility that Nolan discovers the room that houses the girls and women on Plan B. Can he learn to ignore the fact these girls/women are humans and turn a blind eye as his supervisor seems to have done with no trouble? Sadly Nolan discovers that his supervisor, Samuel is in fact smoking himself to his own death with devils spine in an attempt to forget what he has seen happening in the hospital he now also works in. Whilst all this is going on at work, Nolan is still feeling the pressure to save enough money/slips to purchase a possible cure for his father, who's health is rapidly deteriorating even more.

 Nolan wants to keep his father alive, prevent Samuel from smoking himself to death with devils spine and finally help the Plan B room girl he seems to have fallen in love with. Sadly Nolan soon learns he cannot get everything or fix everything in his life and his surroundings. Nolan ends up on the run from the Breeders like many of the characters are doing in this fantastic series, when he goes along with Samuel's plan and selfless actions. 

This novella really takes you through a whole range of emotions, from pride about the relationship Nolan has with his father and the love they share, that is strong despite the wilderness they are now having to fight to survive in. Then there's the complex character of Samuel, who initially seems to be hard heated at the plight of the those in the Plan B room, he seems brusque with Nolan until he learns Nolan has seen inside the Plan B room. Samuel then tries to distract and reason with Nolan that there is nothing to be done. Though later it is a plan formed by Samuel that sets not just Nolan on his way to the possibility of freedom and a new life. The negative emotions you go through are the shock, horror, repulsion and disgust at what the Breeders and Dr Vandewater are up to in their hospital facility.

Plan B part two

So this novella basically picks up from where Plan B part one finished. Nolan is still stunned about the loss of someone else he cared deeply about. Nolan still refers to the pregnant girl he managed to rescue as Angel. However he soon finds out she is far from an Angel and is in fact called Kindy. Kindy didn't particularly want to be rescued, she wanted to find her mum who was also sent to Plan B before she was. The laboratory technicians in Plan B are trying to ensure more females are born to keep the human race going. Kindy has been told her baby is dead and I think that is why she just wants to drink herself into oblivion. Nolan tries his best to look after her but she continues to find fault with everything he does. Kindy doesn't think Nolan is old enough or tough enough to take care of her. I guess she has a point as Nolan has had a somewhat sheltered life experience in comparison to the usual men she has come across.

As females are so rare its no surprise when Kindy becomes separated from Nolan, she ends up being kidnapped. Then she goes through the pain giving birth to her baby. Can Nolan rescue Kindy and her baby? Or are they destined to be sold and used by the highest bidder.

I really enjoyed reading these Breeders Stories. They explain and give more background to the titles I have read in the series so far. I'm sure they will become even more relevant as I continue to read through this great series.