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writingwwolves's review against another edition
5.0
After reading book one I was obsessed with this series, but book two has increased that obsessed tenfold. False Flag tells the same story as Battle Ground but from the perspective of someone on the other side; creating this book has shown how much Rachel has put into creating this story & by including both Bex & Ketty’s perspectives she’s made it hard to decide where the reader’s loyalty lies. I cannot wait for the next instalment of this series & desperately want everyone to read it!!
⚠️ Terrorism, mass murder, violence, war themes, graphic injury descriptions ⚠️
I was sent this book to review as part of a blog tour organised by Rachel’s Random Resources.
Extended Review: https://wp.me/p8MbIo-2VO
⚠️ Terrorism, mass murder, violence, war themes, graphic injury descriptions ⚠️
I was sent this book to review as part of a blog tour organised by Rachel’s Random Resources.
Extended Review: https://wp.me/p8MbIo-2VO
maitaylor01's review against another edition
5.0
Having loved Battle Ground, I was eager to get my hands on the second book in the series, and False Flag didn’t disappoint.
False Flag presents an interesting premise, essentially revisiting the story told in Battle Ground, but from the perspective of Lead Recruit Ketty Smith. I was fascinated by Rachel Churcher’s decision to separate Bex and Ketty’s stories into their own books rather than simply telling the tale from a dual perspective in one book just alternating chapters. This meant I went into False Flag with a pre-formed opinion of Ketty, and getting to know her properly was a total curve ball.
For Ketty, joining the RTS was a choice, a chance to escape her life, and performing well was an opportunity to make something of herself. As soon as I read about her life before the RTS, I felt more sympathy for her than I had dreamed possible while reading Battle Ground. Knowing more about her and how she has been treated throughout her life make a lot of her actions more understandable, if not entirely acceptable. Whereas in Battle Ground I saw her as ruthless and malicious, in False Flag I began to understand that she is vulnerable and scared, and I was reminded that she is little more than a child herself.
Starting from the same point as Battle Ground and covering a lot of the same events, False Flag really shows that there are two sides to every story. While Bex holds a strong opinion of what she witnessed in Leominster and the behaviour of the senior recruits, in False Flag we see a very different side to their involvement with the situation there. Nothing in this world is black and white, and I loved discovering the other version of what went on. Seeing a different view of the bunker invasion, and of Saunders’ bravery there, added an extra depth to the story and once again I found my opinions shifting.
I am totally hooked on this series, and I cannot wait to see what happens next.
False Flag presents an interesting premise, essentially revisiting the story told in Battle Ground, but from the perspective of Lead Recruit Ketty Smith. I was fascinated by Rachel Churcher’s decision to separate Bex and Ketty’s stories into their own books rather than simply telling the tale from a dual perspective in one book just alternating chapters. This meant I went into False Flag with a pre-formed opinion of Ketty, and getting to know her properly was a total curve ball.
For Ketty, joining the RTS was a choice, a chance to escape her life, and performing well was an opportunity to make something of herself. As soon as I read about her life before the RTS, I felt more sympathy for her than I had dreamed possible while reading Battle Ground. Knowing more about her and how she has been treated throughout her life make a lot of her actions more understandable, if not entirely acceptable. Whereas in Battle Ground I saw her as ruthless and malicious, in False Flag I began to understand that she is vulnerable and scared, and I was reminded that she is little more than a child herself.
Starting from the same point as Battle Ground and covering a lot of the same events, False Flag really shows that there are two sides to every story. While Bex holds a strong opinion of what she witnessed in Leominster and the behaviour of the senior recruits, in False Flag we see a very different side to their involvement with the situation there. Nothing in this world is black and white, and I loved discovering the other version of what went on. Seeing a different view of the bunker invasion, and of Saunders’ bravery there, added an extra depth to the story and once again I found my opinions shifting.
I am totally hooked on this series, and I cannot wait to see what happens next.
bishopjoey's review against another edition
5.0
This is a fantastic follow-up to Battle Ground. We get the same story from the point of view of Ketty, the first book's antagonist. if you’ve already enjoyed Battle Ground, you definitely want to get Ketty’s side of the story.
And if you haven’t enjoyed Battle Ground yet, you should grab that one too.
Note: I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
And if you haven’t enjoyed Battle Ground yet, you should grab that one too.
Note: I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
paperbacksandpinot's review against another edition
4.0
False flag is the flip side to Battle Ground, book one in the series. Whilst book one was all about Bex, False Flag is Ketty’s story. Ketty and her fellow recruit Jackson were very much the antagonists of book one and I found Ketty’s cruelty hard to reconcile at times, I have to admit I was a little apprehensive of diving into a full Ketty story as I wasn’t sure I would care about her enough as a character because of my established feelings. For the most part I found that the author pulled the character together well, turning her into more of a morally grey personality who you think you might end up wanting to feel sorry for, but ultimately, they take their broken past and turn it into something callous and entitled rather than anything even remotely resembling empathy. This is all clear from book one and it was actually a little chilling at times to learn just how much contempt she holds to those who’s care she is entrusted with. Ketty is a remorseless character, she is ruthlessly ambitious which is also her downfall at times, her inability to see past her “rinse and repeat” style of dream stomping ultimately means she never gives herself the opportunity to learn from her mistakes.
I actually really enjoyed seeing Camp Bishop from the other side and in fact that made it more of an apprehensive read, knowing what was coming and then finding out the awful truth behind each turn. The catalyst event in Battle Ground was quite astonishing from the other side and shows that what we are seeing is just a very small amount of the much bigger picture, a country determined to have martial law no matter the cost, in order to facilitate their agenda. In my review of book one, I touched on the imagination behind the armour and weaponry and whilst I liked that we had a more in depth look at this aspect in False Flag, I absolutely loved the battle field healing tech that we are introduced to which cements the sci-fi edge to this series and I’m really excited to see where this aspect takes us next, as it’s clear that there is no expense to be spared, by whatever government there is, in achieving their ultimate goal.
There were lull moments which I think felt more so because I knew that somewhere out there Bex was doing something more exciting and towards the end the parallel story approach overlapped a little much, but I think that ultimately Ketty just about manages to hold her own in this book. It’s hard because Bex was so refreshing and I really wanted to know where her story went next, but with book 3 on the horizon I don’t have much longer to wait!
I actually really enjoyed seeing Camp Bishop from the other side and in fact that made it more of an apprehensive read, knowing what was coming and then finding out the awful truth behind each turn. The catalyst event in Battle Ground was quite astonishing from the other side and shows that what we are seeing is just a very small amount of the much bigger picture, a country determined to have martial law no matter the cost, in order to facilitate their agenda. In my review of book one, I touched on the imagination behind the armour and weaponry and whilst I liked that we had a more in depth look at this aspect in False Flag, I absolutely loved the battle field healing tech that we are introduced to which cements the sci-fi edge to this series and I’m really excited to see where this aspect takes us next, as it’s clear that there is no expense to be spared, by whatever government there is, in achieving their ultimate goal.
There were lull moments which I think felt more so because I knew that somewhere out there Bex was doing something more exciting and towards the end the parallel story approach overlapped a little much, but I think that ultimately Ketty just about manages to hold her own in this book. It’s hard because Bex was so refreshing and I really wanted to know where her story went next, but with book 3 on the horizon I don’t have much longer to wait!
pixiejazz's review
4.0
What can I say about False Flag other than "Ugh?" That's a good thing, though.
False Flag is book two in the Battle Ground series, but this one is told from Ketty's POV. If you haven't read book one, you probably should so the events in this one make more sense.
While a lot of the story/events are the same, they are from a different perspective, which makes it a lot more interesting. Plus, you get more of Ketty's backstory and see what her life was like prior to ending up at Camp Bishop.
Even knowing her struggles, though, I still found her to be an obnoxious power-hungry witch who did awful things because it made her feel good about herself. She's basically a big bully, and even though she believes she's working for the good guys and keeps the recruits safe at times, she's still an awful person.
I found False Flag to be a fascinating read. It was more thought-provoking, seeing how things played out from a different character's perspective. Ketty thinks doing everything the government says to do, including keeping secrets and going behind people's backs, is still the right thing. She believes Bex and her friends are honestly the bad guys (the "terrorists"), and she wants to take them down. Even after seeing what the government has done, her desire for power and a better life keeps her moving forward.
I'm super curious to see what will happen in the rest of the series, and I can't wait for the next book.
4.5 stars from me!
False Flag is book two in the Battle Ground series, but this one is told from Ketty's POV. If you haven't read book one, you probably should so the events in this one make more sense.
While a lot of the story/events are the same, they are from a different perspective, which makes it a lot more interesting. Plus, you get more of Ketty's backstory and see what her life was like prior to ending up at Camp Bishop.
Even knowing her struggles, though, I still found her to be an obnoxious power-hungry witch who did awful things because it made her feel good about herself. She's basically a big bully, and even though she believes she's working for the good guys and keeps the recruits safe at times, she's still an awful person.
I found False Flag to be a fascinating read. It was more thought-provoking, seeing how things played out from a different character's perspective. Ketty thinks doing everything the government says to do, including keeping secrets and going behind people's backs, is still the right thing. She believes Bex and her friends are honestly the bad guys (the "terrorists"), and she wants to take them down. Even after seeing what the government has done, her desire for power and a better life keeps her moving forward.
I'm super curious to see what will happen in the rest of the series, and I can't wait for the next book.
4.5 stars from me!
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