Welcome to my tour stop! Read my review and enter the giveaway below...
Augmented
(The Hybrid #3)
By Candace Kade
YA Science Fiction, Dystopian
Audiobook, Hardcover & eBook, 368 Pages
September 16, 2025 by Enclave Escape
Summary
Lee Urban must win to survive.
After being sentenced to the banned list, half of the Asian Federation believes Lee Urban is a ticking time bomb that could end the world as they know it. They’re willing to do anything to erase her existence and silence her voice before she can take a stand.
There’s only one way to fight back: enroll in the Race to the Clouds. Winning the competition would garner global media attention and give Urban the coverage she needs to dismantle the enhancement programs. Unfortunately, it also happens to be the deadliest event of the year.
With less time to train than her rivals, Urban and her team must find a way to best the competition. But as enemies close in, riots erupt, and her homeland teeters on the brink of civil war, one thing is certain— she’s running out of time. Not just for herself, but for every Natural she represents.
(Affiliate links included.)
My Review
AUGMENTED is the conclusion to this unique YA science-fiction where people are pitted against each other by their enhancements or lack of them, in other words, naturals versus enhanced. This third installment has society at the forefront of all out war with the main character at a pivotal place to sway opinion as she enters another dangerous competition. Fans of the genre and this series should enjoy this exciting conclusion!
It took me a bit to start to remember what happened in the previous books. It came eventually as this story starts moving forward. I would have liked a bit more recap into this world and who everyone was than what the author wrote. Once things got going though, pieces started falling into place as Urban reconnects with her family and then enters a deadly race in order to gain the traction she needs. It's pretty much nonstop from there.
I found the whole idea of this high-tech society where basically social media give different factions and people the following they need to drive violence, peace or change. You could say it's on scale with how social media impacts our world now except a bit more intense. I also found the whole enhancements situation and Urban being her own unique type interesting. The author did a great job in working all of that out and making this world make sense. It's definitely an immersive story with plenty of suspense and tension while being character driven. I liked seeing Urban continue to grow into herself and her work with another set of characters to accomplish something together.
There were a few rough places here and there. Some places that could have had better dialogue or smoother sequences. I also would have liked to have been pulled in more to the story and feel more compelled to join Urban's cause.
In the end, was it what I wished for? This was an overall intriguing story with an immersive world and a likable character. Definitely a series to read if you enjoy dystopians with plenty of sci-fi aspects.
Content: Some violence, but clean.
Source: I received a complimentary copy through Celebrate Lit, which did not require a positive review. All opinions are my own.
Other Books in the Series
(Linked to an Amazon affiliate link and my review.)
About the Author
When she’s not exploring new countries, she enjoys hiking in national parks, moving (again!), teaching her husband Mandarin, and keeping two baby humans alive. She can be bribed with boba tea, fluffy puppies, and breakfast tacos.
More from Candace
Have you ever broken a cherished possession?
I have. It was my porcelain mug that I bought while traveling through Ireland. The trip was so special and that cup always brought me happy memories as I sipped tea from it.
My husband tried to fix it for me, but the mug is not the same. It now sits tucked in the back of our cupboards too broken to be used but too precious to be throw away.
Being broken doesn’t mean something—or someone—loses purpose.
In kintsugi, the Japanese art form that involves intentionally breaking tea ware, the fragments left over are pieced back together with golden filling. The final result is more beautiful than the original unblemished version ever could be.
The brokenness enhances the tea ware’s beauty.
In my novel Augmented, I wanted to draw a comparison between brokenness and beauty. Just like kintsugi takes broken pottery and turns it into something beautiful, my protagonist Urban faces her own transformation. She is hopeless and feels like she can’t pick up the shattered pieces of her life. But as she tries out for the world’s most deadly race, she learns that being broken doesn’t mean what she thinks it does.
The things that happen to us have a purpose. If we let the Creator finish His masterpiece (us) He’ll use the fragmented pieces of our lives to make a beautiful finished work of art.
Urban feels the same way, believing her brokenness defines her. But through trial and grace, she discovers what it means to be made new.
No one is too broken to be saved or redeemed.
I wrote this book for anyone who’s ever felt lost, hopeless, or broken. We can do all things through Him who gives us strength.
Tour Schedule
The Lofty Pages, September 20
Life on Chickadee Lane, September 21
Wishful Endings, September 22
Debbie’s Dusty Deliberations, September 23 (Spotlight)
Simple Harvest Reads, September 24 (Author Interview)
Texas Book-aholic, September 25
Artistic Nobody, September 26 (Author Interview)
Guild Master, September 27 (Author Interview)
Blogging With Carol, September 27
Lily’s Corner, September 28
Tell Tale Book Reviews, September 28
Fiction Book Lover, September 29 (Author Interview)
Life on Chickadee Lane, September 30
A Modern Day Fairy Tale, October 1 (Author Interview)
A Reader’s Brain, October 2 (Spotlight)
Book Butterfly in Dreamland, October 3
Tour-Wide Giveaway
To celebrate her tour, Candace is giving away the grand prize of a $50 Amazon Gift Card and a copy of the book!!
Be sure to comment on the blog stops for extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter.
Have you read any of the books in this series or a similar dystopian where people have different enhancements?
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