Qualify

Atlantis Grail Series, Book 1

By: Vera Nazarian

Narrated by: Sofia Willingham

Length: 22 hrs and 32 mins

Publisher's summary

You have two options. You die, or you Qualify.

Sixteen-year-old Gwenevere Lark is determined not only to Qualify but to rescue her entire family.

If you are good enough to Qualify, you are eligible to compete in the brutal games of the Atlantis Grail, which grants all winners the laurels, high-tech luxuries, and full privileges of Atlantis citizenship. And if you are in the Top 10, then all your wildest wishes are granted...such as curing your mother's cancer.

There is only one problem. Gwen Lark is known as a klutz and a nerd. While she's a hotshot in classics, history, science, and languages, the closest she's come to sports is a backyard pool and a skateboard.

This time she is in over her head, and in for a fight of her life, against impossible odds and world-class competition - including Logan Sangre, the most amazing guy in her school, the one she's been crushing on, and who doesn't seem to know she exists.

Because every other teen on earth has the same idea.

You Qualify, or you die.

©2014 Vera Nazarian (P)2019 Tantor

LOVED IT!

I know people compare this to The Hunger Games, and I can understand why. It's a Y/A novel about a competition in a dystopian or apocalyptic world. But honestly, I found this to be so much more entertaining than The Hunger Games. This would be awesome as a TV series!

Liked it a lot!

Great story and narrator. Was not sure if I would like the story, but I was hooked fast and looking forward to see what happened next. Starting on the next book in the series right away.

Great concept, but a teen romance

This book has such a great concept, but it gets ruined a bit by the very cheesy teen romance drama. Additionally, while supposedly very smart, the protagonist makes a ridiculous amount of stupid decisions (although, she is a teenager I suppose).

Exciting and boring

I mostly loved this book - but towards the end, I found I just wanted it to end already. It got boring in different places in the book. But also very exciting in other places. But I thought the last couple chapters were on the boring side. The narration was excellent. As much as I liked this book, I think I'll skip the next one as I don't feel driven to get it

Good for the right audience.

I only gave this three stars because it really was not that great but that is speaking as an adult male. The story is well written but definitely written for a teenage or near teenage audience and personally I couldn’t get past that.

great characters, fun plot, some obvious twists,

the teenagers are written as a bit less quick thinking that i expect from modern teenagers. great story, its exactly as advertised. told from Gwen's point of view.
if you have questions about the asteroid they aren't answered in this book. I'm going to the next now to see what's next.
perfect voice actor choice.

Qualify or Die

I loved this book. It was definitely a stay up too late, cannot put it down, it should get more than 5 stars kind of book. I fell head first into the story and was equally desperate to read it all at once and also to savor it and make it last. The storyline was imaginative, the characters were real and relatable, and the writing was addictive. The world building was phenomenal, woven together scene by scene, layer by layer until it became a living breathing place full of three dimensional beings. Plus, this YA fantasy will have you feeling all the deep emotions - laughing, crying, swooning, cringing, teeth gritting, knuckle biting, raging, and cheering. I was right there with Gwen and her group of friends and family feeling all the things. A planet ending asteroid is on its way to Earth. Aliens from a distant planet who once lived on Earth in the lost civilization of Atlantis have come to Earth to save 10 million people. The catch is that they must be between the ages of 11 and 20 for reasons and they must “qualify” in a competition to earn the right to survive. It is qualify or die. Gwen is HS junior with 3 teenaged siblings, a history professor father and an opera singer mother. All four Lark siblings initially qualify for the semi-finals and are moved to a RQC to train in preparation. The story is told through Gwen’s eyes in a first person POV. This author did a phenomenal job portraying Gwen as an insecure, geeky, awkward, and self-focused teen who has an innate sense of right and wrong and an innocence while also allowing her to grow and change as the story progresses. The story includes all the goodness that you’d expect from this genre - fighting, dangerous situations, end of the world scenarios, bullies, loyal friends and family, tragic back stories, snark, mystery, secrets, betrayal, revelations, and laughs. While this is a YA fantasy, is also a deeply emotional book. At its heart, it’s a story of every day people who find their way by owning their choices, recognizing their scars, finding their strength, embracing life, and deciding to answer the call to do what is right, even when it is hard. This well written story included engaging dialogue, three dimensional characters who grow, and a captivating storyline. I am excited to continue the story in Compete.

Sofia Willingham did a phenomenal job narrating the story and characters into life with enough change of inflection, tone and cadence to voice multiple characters quite convincingly.

WOW WOW WOW!!!! I LOVE IT!!!

Such a well written and well developed story!
So much excitement! I couldn’t stop listening to it. I loved the diverse characters!! The narrator did an excellent job of bringing each character to life! I look forward to hearing more from this author!

Hunger Games with a twist

Qualify or die. Good imagination tired theme with all the teenage drama. Many will like but I am on the hunt for a better story.

An outstanding read

I originally got this as a free kindle book. I get many free kindle books, I don't expect as much from free books.

This one was a home run. It has become a favorite and has a great story. This author writes great characters and is hands down a good story teller. The best part is that it keeps getting better. There are three more books following and in each one the characters get stronger and the story builds and becomes more detailed.

The story feels very 'real' and I enjoy the jaunts off into history and other places that the story delves into.

I recommend this series very highly.