Extraction by Stephanie Diaz (review)

Extraction, being removed from the surface populace for work in the safer Core, is the only hope for most on this grueling planet where otherwise your life as a manual laborer ends when you are killed at twenty years old. Clementine is chosen for extraction, and while she is sad to leave her boyfriend, she knows that at least in the Core she can work, contribute, and flourish. Unfortunately, the Core is far from the promised perfection, and Clem is faced with vengeful classmates, harsh situations, and the pressing secret that the end of the world is coming. Clem is, on occasion, irritatingly slow to action, but her general belief that she is doing the right thing propels her in exciting (if not always logical) directions. Disappointingly, a muddy plot and flat character development make it hard to understand or care about what happens to the planet, and the plot elements—testing to find the exceptional, saviors that turn out not to be—are all pretty well-worn. Nevertheless, there are certainly dystopia fans who can’t get enough, and the fact that this all takes place on a different planet (complete with acid-dripping moon and habitable inner layers) at least shakes up the setting in intriguing ways.