Plier by Jane Washington

Plier by Jane Washington


Series: Ironside Academy #1
Genres: Paranormal Romance
Setting: Arizona, USA
Source: Amazon, Audible
Narrator: Jennifer Sterling
Also by this author: Charcoal Tears

Goodreads

Ironside is more than a regular academy. It’s also the biggest reality TV show in the world … and a very elaborate, very luxurious prison.

Their hallowed halls are ruled by the Betas, Omegas, and Deltas—but this year, the officials are stirring things up.

Isobel Carter—the only rare Sigma to be accepted—is the first sign. But there are others. Many others. A sudden influx of powerful Alphas will turn academy life, and Isobel’s life, upside down.

She might be the lowest rung on the ladder, but in order to survive Ironside, where social media is king and consequences are deadly, she will need to make her mark.

She will need to climb.

This isn’t a game for the faint of heart, and those who rise should be prepared for a beautiful, brutal fall.

Beware the pretty posers, because this social media game just got dangerous.

The Hunger Games collides with America's Got Talent, and you've just been invited to binge it all in high definition. But here's some viewer discretion before you continue:

This series has as many love interests as enemies, with all the focus on the main character. Expect a delicious slow burn where you'll never have to pick your favourite shade of morally grey.

Readers, meet your new guilty pleasure.

Plier has been sitting on my kindle for a long time. I’m not sure why I didn’t dive in. I’ve read other books by her and enjoyed them. I think it was the focus on dancing. The original cover was really not good either. Turns out, despite the names of each book, its not about dancing at all.

So, there are “gifted” people born in the human population who humans segregate into settlements and basically force them to live in squalor. But, the gifted could be chosen to go to Ironside Academy. This place is not a school but a social media influencer factory. The gifted spend 5 years competing for the adoration of humans so they can become that year’s Idol. Isobel is the daughter of an Idol so she had a pretty cushy life outside of the settlements, but she is a sigma who can siphon emotions so her life wasn’t easy. As if being persecuted by the humans isn’t enough, the gifted are also racist against their own. See, gifted can be Alphas (the top), Betas, Deltas, Omegas, or Sigmas (the lowest). The deck is stacked against Isobel from the beginning. Everyone has a talent (or multiple talents) they are using to gain popularity with the humans watching. Turns out, Isobel is a phenomenal dancer. But, I think the story only focuses on her dancing a couple of times.

She has to figure out how to survive being the weakest (and only Sigma) in a pool of piranhas who are always out for blood (because if it bleeds, its leads). Oh, and then there is a dorm of Alphas who have an unnatural interest in her. Plier is a slow burn but it is unique and interesting, so I finished this and dove right into the next book. I did listen and read to this; the audio is good but not fantastic. I have found lately that unless its duet or multicast, I lose interest in the audio. Its becoming a real problem for me.

 

•   POV: 3rd
•   Tears: no
•   Trope: reverse harem, reality tv, fated mates
•   Triggers: View Spoiler »bullying, abuse (physical) « Hide Spoiler
•   Series/Standalone: series
•   Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »yes « Hide Spoiler
•   HEA: View Spoiler »not yet « Hide Spoiler

No Fear by Tate James, Zodiac Academy by Caroline Peckham and Suzanne Valenti, Bonded by Thorns by Helen Elizabeth …then you will probably like Plier!

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