On
a perfectly ordinary evening, twins Sheridan and Taylor get sucked
through some sort of time portal and end up 400 years in the future with
no way home. They find themselves in a domed city with no animals, a
strange dialect of English, and psychedelic fashions that look kind of
ridiculous to their 21st century eyes. Their only friends, or at least
the only people they can converse with, are two linguists who have
studied the 21st century dialect, a father and son duo who explain that
the girls were brought into the future by accident when a group of
scientists tried to bring a famed 21st century physicist instead. The
girls are warned about the totalitarian government and a mafia-esque
Dakine group who will surely be after them as soon as they find out
about the girls from the past. Taylor and Sheridan know that they need
to get out of the city as soon as they can, and must put their faith and
trust in the mysterious Echo, the linguist's son who has his own
reasons for trying to escape.
The time travel concept behind this
book was a lot more unique than I expected, probably because there was
almost no hope that the girls would go home. It was fascinating to have
twins be the main characters, instead of what would have usually been a
pair of best friends or a girl and a boy who would end up together at
the end of the novel. Furthermore, having two points of views-one from
the present past and one from the future present truly showed all sides
of this new era that that book takes place in. From Sheridan's POV we
saw the world as we would see it, and from Echo we saw it as those who
were born in it do.
Before I get to the things that I love I'm
going to get the things that I didn't love out of the way as fast as I
can. The romance was a bit too fast for my taste. Sheridan and Echo were
making out after knowing each other for how long? My other
disappointment was not in the author, but in me as I couldn't really
remember the names of half the characters (mostly villains). I was able
to follow the story and I knew who most of the important people were but
at some point I started putting all the government villains into a
folder in my head labeled "all seem like the same person so don't waste
brain cells on them".
Now for some particular things I loved
about this novel. The jawdropping moments were just that-jawdropping. I
actually got out of bed to go discuss it with my sister because of how
shocked I was. I can usually predict these things in books so it was
nice to be completely surprised and then look back to realize all the
hints. The sisterly love between Sheridan and Taylor was also very
sweet. They understood that they were all each other had left and stuck
together through everything. Needless to say it was very heartwarming.
4.8 stars
When twins Sheridan and
Taylor wake up 400 years in the future, they find a changed world: domed
cities, no animals, and a language that's so different, it barely
sounds like English. And the worst news: They can't go back home.
The
twenty-fifth-century government transported the girls to their city
hoping to find a famous scientist to help perfect a devastating new
weapon. The same government has implanted tracking devices in the
citizens, limiting and examining everything they do. Taylor and Sheridan
have to find a way out of the city before the government discovers
their secrets. To complicate matters, the moblike Dakine has interest in
getting hold of them too. The only way for the girls to elude their
pursuers is to put their trust in Echo, a guy with secrets of his own.
The trio must put their faith in the unknown to make a harrowing escape
into the wilds beyond the city.
Full of adrenaline-injected chases and heartbreaking confessions, Erasing Time
explores the strength of the bonds between twins, the risks and rewards
of trust, and the hard road to finding the courage to fight for what
you believe in.
In
this sci-fi adaptation of Jane Austen's Persuasion, the human race is
still reeling from scientific experiments gone wrong and is now being
led by the Luddite nobility. Years before the events of this novel, some
ambitious scientists found a way to manipulate DNA to make better
humans. However, when the offspring of these people were all born with
severe mental retardation, called the Reduction, it appeared to be the
end of the human race until the Luddites, a strict religious minority
who had been in hiding, came out and became the new majority. Elliot,
our protagonist, has been managing her Luddite family's estate since the
death of her mother four years prior, while her father and sister spend
the family's money with no qualms about their impending poverty. When
Elliot is approached by a post-reductionist fleet, the mentally capable
children of the reduced, about renting property from her to build a
boat, she grabs at the opportunity to make a little more money to help
her family and those living on their property survive, not knowing that
part of this fleet is Captain Malakai Wentforth, the boy who she refused
to run away with after her mother's death.
This book was
absolutely incredible. Whether you're a Jane Austen fan, a sci-fi fan,
or neither, you should read this book anyway because it was so amazing
(but if you are either or both of those you'll find it all the more
entertaining). The science fiction part of the novel was relatively tame
but still strong enough to keep the part of me that longs for the
extraordinary happy.
Not only was the story and how Jane Austen's
tale of long-lost love was adapted fascinating, but the way the story
was written and told was exceptional as well. I thought the pace was
perfect. Persuasion is not a particularly climactic tale, but
Peterfreund managed to space out little tidbits of information to shock
the reader just enough so that you absolutely have to continue reading.
What I loved most though were the personalities of the characters.
Almost every one was round, the heroes, villains, and un-labelable, and
acted as a real person would. All in all, this was a phenomenal book and
if you haven't read it yet, you're missing out.
5 stars.
It's been several
generations since a genetic experiment gone wrong caused the Reduction,
decimating humanity and giving rise to a Luddite nobility who outlawed
most technology.
Elliot North has always known her place in this
world. Four years ago Elliot refused to run away with her childhood
sweetheart, the servant Kai, choosing duty to her family's estate over
love. Since then the world has changed: a new class of
Post-Reductionists is jumpstarting the wheel of progress, and Elliot's
estate is foundering, forcing her to rent land to the mysterious Cloud
Fleet, a group of shipbuilders that includes renowned explorer Captain
Malakai Wentforth--an almost unrecognizable Kai. And while Elliot
wonders if this could be their second chance, Kai seems determined to
show Elliot exactly what she gave up when she let him go.
But
Elliot soon discovers her old friend carries a secret--one that could
change their society . . . or bring it to its knees. And again, she's
faced with a choice: cling to what she's been raised to believe, or cast
her lot with the only boy she's ever loved, even if she's lost him
forever.
Inspired by Jane Austen's Persuasion, For Darkness Shows the Stars is a breathtaking romance about opening your mind to the future and your heart to the one person you know can break it.
Please note that this review contains spoilers for the first two books in this series, Possession and Surrender.
In
the finale to one of the most confusing series ever, the rebellion is
finally ready to take action and overthrow the mind-controlling
government once and for all. The supernaturally gifted teenagers leading
the rebellion are faced with the hardest decisions they've ever had to
make, involving war, the moralities of their powers, and their hearts.
Vi chose Jag already so that love triangle is over, but Zenn is still in
love with Vi and has to take orders from the boy she loves. As the
rebellion comes to a climax, loyalties are tested and there is too much
flip-flopping between sides for me to recount it here.
This book
was way too long. In some cases I'm thrilled when the final book of a
series is 464 pages long, and when I'm done I'm salivating for more, but
in this case it was just too much. Halfway through I was so bored but
yet desperate to know the end that I read the last chapter before
returning to where I was up to. The ending was just enough motivation to
get me through, as it finished the series off on the right note, though
I will warn prospective readers that it was bittersweet. If you're
looking for rainbows and unicorns you should put this book down.
There
were so many gifts and talents and combinations of them amongst the
characters that I lost track of who could do what pretty quickly. The
fact that nothing was ever explained did not help with this confusion,
and after a while I just assumed that everyone could do everything
because it was so misleading. I also didn't understand half of what was
happening when each character used their powers because I was so unsure
of what their powers actually were.
Before I go, I have a
question to ask you which has been bothering me. If there are adults
involved in the rebellion, why is Jag, a teenage boy, the leader? He's
been the leader for years which means he probably took over when he was
around 14 or 15, and if I was part of this rebellion there is absolutely
no way I would trust a boy in the middle of puberty. Why did the adults
listen to him in the first place? Did he use his voice on them? Because
that's a very long ruse to keep up if he's going to keep using his
voice to get them to listen to him, and they'd have probably figured it
out eventually. For now I will be content that the answer is that the
author wanted Vi's love interest to be the leader of the rebellion, but
if anyone has a better answer please supply it.
3. 6 stars
seduced by power,
broken by control,
and consumed by love...
Vi
has made her choice between Jag and Zenn, and the Resistance may have
suffered for it. But with the Thinkers as strong as ever, the rebels
still have a job to do. Vi knows better than anyone that there's more at
stake than a few broken hearts.
But there is a traitor among
them...and the choices he makes could lead to the total destruction of
everything Vi has fought for.
Vi, Jag, and Zenn must set their
problems aside for the Resistance to have any hope of ending the
Thinkers' reign. Their success means everything...and their failure
means death
America
is faced with a choice. She can accept her prince's proposal and end
the Selection, becoming princess of the realm, or she can run off with
her first love Aspen and live the rest of her life away from all the
political drama. As America is pulled in both directions, the Selection
continues and Prince Maxon starts getting close to another one of his
chosen few. When rebels attack repeatedly, America must look inside
herself and determine what she really wants-why is she still here, and
what is her destiny?
This book only took me 2 hours to read. I
don't know if it was an easy read, or if I was so desperate to know what
will happen next that I half-skimmed it, but I was done in 2 hours. I
enjoyed learning the history of how the castes were formed and why they
still exist because it gave the series more depth and explained some
things I'd been wondering about, namely why there are castes at all. I
have just realized the obvious redundancy in the previous sentence, but I
refuse to change it, so I am very sorry if it bothers you.
SPOILERS AHEAD
I
am 100% Team Maxon, and I was thrilled when America made her choice. I
figured she would choose Maxon in the end, just because she didn't run
off with Aspen as soon as he asked her to, but it was still nice to have
confirmation. Not only do we know now who America will end up with
(because there's going to be a happy ending after the third book, no
doubt about it), we also know who the real villains are, which is a
relief. The first book was wishy-washy about the rebels and who they are
and what they want, but finally the truth has been revealed, that the
antagonist of the novels are not the rebels, but the king himself. I
should have predicted it, but his lack of presence in the first book
just made me think that he would be killed off soon. Oh, well. I was
wrong. Now we can move on to the third book with all the facts laid
out-we know who America will end up with, and who they will have to
defeat.
Also, I compared this book to The Hunger Games, and like Katniss, America chose her Peeta.
4.8 stars.
Thirty-five girls came
to the palace to compete in the Selection. All but six have been sent
home. And only one will get to marry Prince Maxon and be crowned
princess of Illea.
America still isn’t sure where her heart lies.
When she’s with Maxon, she’s swept up in their new and breathless
romance, and can’t dream of being with anyone else. But whenever she
sees Aspen standing guard around the palace, and is overcome with
memories of the life they planned to share. With the group narrowed down
to the Elite, the other girls are even more determined to win Maxon
over—and time is running out for America to decide.
Just when
America is sure she’s made her choice, a devastating loss makes her
question everything again. And while she’s struggling to imagine her
future, the violent rebels that are determined to overthrow the monarchy
are growing stronger and their plans could destroy her chance at any
kind of happy ending.
The
ideas connecting all the stories in this book was fascinating. Each
author took the topic of prophecy and prediction and interpreted it
completely differently. It was cool to read all the different takes and
twists on this one topic, especially because none of them were as
generic as I expected.
Gentlemen Send Phantoms, by Laini Taylor: I
loved this story so much that it inspired me to read Laini Taylor's
novels. It was light and sweet with hints of fantasy but with the
uncertainty if whether what you're reading is fantasy at all.
Burned
Bright, by Diana Peterfreund: Diana Peterfreund is one of my favorite
authors and I found out about her when I read her short story in
"Zombies and Unicorns". This story was absolutely fascinating. The twist
at the end reminded me of the O'Henry stories I had to read in 8th
grade, the ones with the shocking endings. After reading the last line
of this story my jaw dropped and it took about five minutes for me to
get it shut. It was totally unlike the killer unicorn or the Secret Society Girl books, which was quite unexpected and shows great talent on
the author's part that she could write in such different styles.
The
Angriest Man, by Lisa McMann: This story kind of scared me. I'm not
sure how literally I was supposed to take it but I'm not much of a fan
of symbolism so if there was any, I didn't get it. This take on
prediction was one of self-fulfilled prophecy and for some reason I just
thought of the movie "Megamind" in that everyone expects the main
character to be bad. Don't be mistaken though-this story is NOTHING like
Megamind.
Out of the Blue, by Meg Cabot: Cute, but typical Meg Cabot. One of my favorite stories in the book.
One
True Love, by Malinda Lo: The only way I can describe this story is
lesbian Oedipus Rex. But I think that was the point of the story.
This
is a Mortal Wound, by Michael Grant: Very very interesting but I
couldn't figure out how this story connected with prophecy and
prediction.
Misery, by Heather Brewer: Fascinating and introspective. I didn't particularly enjoy it, but I did appreciate it.
The
Mind is a Powerful Thing, by Matt de la Pena: Another story of
self-fulfilled prophecy, just this time with a paranoid girl who thinks
the world is out to get her.
The Chosen One, by Saundra Mitchell:
Sweet and strong. A more classic take on the whole prophecy idea, but
the main character was full of spunk.
Improbable Futures, by Kami
Garcia: Not a particularly unique story, but definitely good. I wasn't a
huge fan of Beautiful Creatures so I wasn't looking forward to reading
this story or the next one, but this story was a lot darker than I
realized. This story is about a fake fortune teller who realizes that
everything she is predicting starts coming true.
Death for the
Deathless, by Margaret Stohl: This story was the first that had a
prediction loop which makes you question what comes first. I liked a few
of the other stories, but this one was definitely my number one
favorite. I was shocked when I looked at the author's name and realized
that I thought her other books were stupid.
Fate, by Simone Elkeles: This story had no fantasy involved but was just a short contemporary romance. Another goodie.
The
Killing Garden, by Carrie Ryan: This story was nasty. The concept was
messed up and made me cringe multiple times. I felt bad for the main
character for not realizing the truth behind her father's words until
the end, but the end of the story was okay.
Homecoming, by
Richelle Mead: To anyone who hasn't read the Vampire Academy books, this
story will seem out of place and won't be fully understood. To anyone
who has, it's nice to read about Dimitri's reunion with his family.
3.6 stars.
Have you ever been
tempted to look into the future? To challenge predictions? To question
fate? It's human nature to wonder about life's twists and turns. But is
the future already written—or do you have the power to alter it?
From fantastical prophecies to predictions of how the future will transpire, Foretold
is a collection of stories about our universal fascination with life's
unknowns and of what is yet to come as interpreted by 14 of young adult
fiction's brightest stars.
Scarlet's
grandmother has been missing for over two weeks and she is willing to
do anything to bring her back alive. After her alcoholic father gives
her a clue to her grandmother's kidnappers that leads to a street
fighter named Wolf, Scarlet sets off on a journey to Paris with Wolf as
her guide. Scarlet knows Wolf is hiding things from her, and as his
secrets start to unfold Scarlet learns that she and her grandmother are
in a lot more danger than they ever would have imagined. Meanwhile, in
Asia, Cinder is planning her escape from prison and has found a partner
in crime who happens to have a ship. Cinder wants to find out what
happened to her during the missing years before her adoption and how she
got her magnificently wired brain. Her journey takes her to France,
where she and Scarlet cross paths on quests with seemingly different yet
similar goals.
As is the case with many second books (I think
I've used that line before) this book did not live up to the first one.
With that said, I will remind you, if you've read my review of Cinder,
that the only reason Cinder got a five-star rating was because the plot
shone through the mediocre prose. Unfortunately for Scarlet, the plot
took a long time to get good and even once it did it was only for a few
short pages before the story returned to the unexciting once more.
However, I will admit that despite my dislike for Scarlet's point of
view, the connection to the first book was very good and it continued
the story well while still retaining its independence as its own book
and not merely a continuation of the first one.
4.2 stars.
The fates of Cinder and Scarlet collide as a Lunar threat spreads across the Earth...
Cinder,
the cyborg mechanic, returns in the second thrilling installment of the
bestselling Lunar Chronicles. She's trying to break out of prison—even
though if she succeeds, she'll be the Commonwealth's most wanted
fugitive.
Halfway around the world, Scarlet Benoit's grandmother
is missing. It turns out there are many things Scarlet doesn't know
about her grandmother or the grave danger she has lived in her whole
life. When Scarlet encounters Wolf, a street fighter who may have
information as to her grandmother's whereabouts, she is loath to trust
this stranger, but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As
Scarlet and Wolf unravel one mystery, they encounter another when they
meet Cinder. Now, all of them must stay one step ahead of the vicious
Lunar Queen Levana, who will do anything for the handsome Prince Kai to
become her husband, her king, her prisoner.
To read my review on the first Insiders book, Inside Out, click here.
The
fight against the Travas is over and the society in the cube flying
through space is on their way to democracy. Or at least, that's what
Trella thought would happen after the events of Inside Out. However,
trying to install a new system of government is a lot harder than it
seems (and it seems pretty hard!!) and the citizens of Inside are facing a new unknown danger.
Mysterious explosions are occurring on board and everyone is looking at
Trella and her Force of Sheep to save the day once again. With the fate
of her world on her hands Trella must explore her homeship for new areas
and clues as to the mission of the ship is, and find the villain
exploding parts of her home and endangering her friends, all while
trying to spend time with her new boyfriend. And when Trella discovers
that this new threat is from Outside, everything she knows is turned
upside down and inside out (sorry, couldn't help myself).
Overall thoughts:
I absolutely loved this book.
It took me a while to actually pick it up because when a prequel has a
solid ending like Inside Out did, I don't want to mess up the perfect
world in my head. However, once I started Outside In I couldn't put it
down. I'm not kidding-I read it in one day because I just couldn't go to
sleep without finishing it, and that doesn't usually happen to me on a
school night. I should probably include though that I did skim parts of
the book because of the technical lingo. I knew it wouldn't overwhelm me
if I bothered to read it through and understand it, but I just wanted
to get to the good stuff and I didn't want to waste time on the boring
stuff.
Plot speed:
Very fast. This book doesn't waste time.
Once the story started, which took a few pages because we first had to
be reminded of what happened in Inside Out and given an update on where
things stand at the moment, it went fast. There were very few calm
moments, but that didn't bother me because there were still some still
moments in the middle of the chaos that allowed Trella (and the reader)
time to gather her thoughts.
Characters:
Way too many. I lost
track at some point. There were plenty of characters in Inside Out and
in Outside In all of those characters return plus some new ones. And
it's also important to remember who's good and who's bad, who can be
trusted and who can't be and all of that nonsense. I had to reread
several parts to keep myself from getting too confused and to remind
myself whose on which side and how many sides there were.
My favorite parts:
Anytime
sheep were mentioned!!!!! I loved how livestock the characters never
saw in real life played such a prominent part in the story and
represented a rebellion. Seriously, who would ever consider representing
a rebellion with a tame animal like a sheep? Even a goat is less
ridiculous! But the sheep (especially Sheepy) were what drew me in and
kept me laughing even when I had no right to.
Romance:
This
book made my heart squeal. I didn't really like Trella and Riley's
relationship in Inside Out because I kind of felt like she was doing all
the work and he was just there to be a pretty face, but he did his
share of hard work in Outside In to make up for that. Their romance was
sweet and innocent in a world where nothing else was.
Sequel possible?
I'm
not sure. The ending was very well-rounded and left almost no cracks to
slip another novel in, but I would have said the same thing after
finishing Inside Out.
5 stars. Despite my complaints, this book was truly awesome.
Me?
A leader?
Okay, I did
prove that there's more to Inside than we knew. That a whole world
exists beyond this cube we live in. And finding that led to a major
rebellion—between worker scrubs like me and the snobby uppers who rule
our world. Make that ruled. Because of me, we're free. I
thought that meant I was off the hook, and could go off on my own
again—while still touching base with Riley, of course. He's the one
upper I think I can trust. But then we learned that there's outside and
then there is Outside.
And something from Outside wants In.
Here are reviews of the previous two books in the series: Matched and Crossed
Finals
are over and I can finally catch up on my reviews, starting with
Reached which I read weeks ago. Cassia, Ky, and Xander are working for
the rebellion and are waiting for the the Society to fall so the
dystopian society (lowercase s) can be patched up. Told from all three of
their points of view, Reached answers all the questions from the
previous books and introduces a new concept: plague. A new danger is rampant throughout the land and the Rebellion is working hard to find the cure and save the citizens from both the disease and the government. Cassia is working
as a sorter and an archivist, Ky as a pilot with Indie, and Xander is a
physic and taking care of people with this mysterious new illness, and all three are working for the Rebellion. But can the Rebellion live up to the hopes and dreams of the people waiting for it?
Overall thoughts:
This
was a good end to a series that couldn't really convince me it would be
good. My one big complaint, which applies to all the books in the
series, is that the entire thing seems abstract. It's an odd thing to
explain but something about this book makes me feel disconnected. I know
this is supposed to be a book about a possible future but I felt like
it was nothing more than a few basic plotlines laid out without any details because of the utter lack of grittiness
of any sort. Usually I complain about too much grit but this series has
the opposite problem. The worst part is that there were plenty of
opportunities to fix this problem and yet it's still so squeaky clean.
My favorite character:
I
loved Lei. She was extremely interesting and even though she was a new
character her connection to a character from a previous book only made
her better in my opinion. Her devotion, commitment, and belief in Xander
was inspiring.
My least favorite character:
Indie. I hated
her in the last book and wanted her to disappear, and I hated her
presence in Reached. She is selfish, a bad friend, and a nuisance.
Romance:*******spoilers ahead*********
The
romance in this book was tidy. All characters in love with Ky and
Cassia were given an ending, whether it be death or a new significant
other. What I found interesting was that Lei was Vick's (from book 2)
girlfriend. Vick died because he took one of Cassia's blue pills that
she got from Xander. So if you think about it, Xander provided the pills
that killed his new girlfriend's old boyfriend.
Ending:
Very
good and very neat. I loved how it ended without saying what is going to
happen to the government because it shows that that isn't the main
point of the book.
4.2 stars.
After leaving Society
and desperately searching for the Rising—and each other—Cassia and Ky
have found what they were looking for, but at the cost of losing each
other yet again: Cassia has been assigned to work for the Rising from
within Society, while Ky has been stationed outside its borders. But
nothing is as predicted, and all too soon the veil lifts and things
shift once again.
In this gripping conclusion to the #1 New York Times-bestselling Matched
trilogy, Cassia will reconcile the difficulties of challenging a life
too confining, seeking a freedom she never dreamed possible, and
honoring a love she cannot live without.
Picture Cinderella in your
head. Now picture Cinderella the cyborg mechanic living in a dystopian
future where the people are being plagued by a mysterious disease called
letumosis and Earth's citizens are working to prevent war with the
moon's citizens. After her beloved step-sister is diagnosed and taken
away to die in quarantine, Cinder's step-mother volunteers her
step-daughter outcast for research. Cinder is taken away to be a guinea
pig and learns new things about herself that she never would have
dreamed of (I'm not talking about self-discovery, but actual physical
things about herself). Meanwhile, Cinder is also trying to fix a droid
that may be an issue of national security for the handsome prince while
attempting not to fall for him.
Overall thoughts:
There are
some books which have plain and/or cliche plots but are written so well
that they seem unique. Other books have such unique stories that even if
the prose isn't incredible, it doesn't matter. Cinder is one of the
latter. The prose wasn't exactly inspiring, but the plot was so
different and far-fetched that i didn't care. I will say that this book
is extremely predictable so I wasn't very surprised at any of the
"OMG!!" moments.
Characters:
Because of the complexities in
the plot I felt there wasn't much room for character development.
Therefore, the villains seemed entirely one-sided. I understand that
Levana is supposed to be evil incarnated, but Adri is supposed to have a
tiny bit of good in her. The only time Adri showed that she was
remotely human was when she showed grief at her daughter's sickness, but
even then she turned that emotion evil when she sent Cinder away.
Supernatural elements:
This
book is definitely more sci-fi than fantasy and the author makes sure
to quell any bits of fantasy with scientific explanations by explaining
that magic is actually bioelectricity.
Stand alone vs. series:
As
much as I do enjoy a good series, I also enjoy when a book in a series
can also stand alone just in case someone doesn't get around to the next
book. This book didn't leave the reader with much choice, and the
ending was one desperate for a sequel.
Romance:
The romance
between Cinder and Kai was a sweet one that was based on crushes. It
wasn't a squealy romance, rather one that was only there to make this a
cinderella story.
5 stars.
Humans and androids
crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the
population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make
their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . .
Cinder,
a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a
mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her
stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the
handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an
intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty
and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her
past in order to protect her world’s future.
In the violent country
of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak.
The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in
the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in
immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able
to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life
trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the
drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the
oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a
beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never
heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.
Charlie is
intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real
loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the
violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to
something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the
terrible power of a deadly regime.
In a future where castes are
defined by language and queens have magic, Charlie is special-she can
understand everyone. Charlie must hide this talent and pretend not to
understand when people from classes higher than hers speak. She, and all
the others in her caste, the merchant caste, must look at the ground,
never in the eyes of a person superior to them, and must be careful not
to break even the tiniest law or risk being beheaded. Because of the
oppression from the evil, elderly, and increasingly senile queen, a
rebellion starts and flows through the underground party world where
anyone from any caste can come for relief. In one of these clubs Charlie
meets Max and the two have a spark immediately, but Max has a secret
(which I predicted before the character's first appearance) which
combined with Charlie's talent can change the destiny of the entire
country.
One of the most important characters in The Pledge is
Charlie's mute little sister, Angelina, who is just as special as
Charlie is. However, no matter how unique four-year-old Angelina is, she
is just too mature for her age. Angelina's character was the essence of
good and she had almost nothing else to her. In complete contrast to
Angelina (and Charlie) is the queen. Queen Sabara (or not-read the first
chapter and try not to freak out too much) is completely evil without a
single redeeming quality, which is good because it makes hating her
that much easier. Her actions horrified me, especially because of the
way she treated other's lives. It was as if anyone in her way was a bug
for her to squish. This is one villain who didn't even act like her
actions were for the good of the country but acknowledged that they were
just for herself.
One aspect I really liked was that even though
Charlie was super special and all that jazz she couldn't have gotten
anywhere without her friends and she knows it. She recognizes her own
deeds as important but also gives out the proper credit to the ones
around her. I also liked the relationship between Charlie and her best
friend, Brooklynn. (I am totally Brooklynn-and not because I live
there.) It's a friendship where two people who are totally different
actually care about each other. I liked how it seemed uneven in certain
areas because it showed that their friendship was a valid one and not
one based on other things. On the other hand, Charlie and Max's
chemistry seemed totally fake to me. There was too much of it and not
enough communicating. They trusted each other way too easily for the
amount of words shared between them. (Despite my complaints, the
chemistry was a lot of fun to read.) Charlie's friends Aron and Sydney
were AWOL for most of the book, coming in here and there for scenes that
had barely any impact on the events of the book. My only consolation
for my unfulfilled desire to see more of these characters who I actually
wanted to read about is that they'll probably be featured more in the
sequel.
This is one of the only young adult fantasy books I've
read in a long time that can actually stand alone. Although there will
be a sequel, the ending was satisfying and left me comfortable. Because
the book was good, I probably will read the sequel but I don't feel the
uncomfortable pressure to finish the story. The Pledge was one of the
most predictable books I have ever encountered. The foreshadowing was
abundant and not as subtle as I would have liked so I managed to predict
multiple different happenings pages before they occurred. It was a
little weak because of that, and I didn't like the dread that set in
when I realized what was going to happen, but The Pledge was so good
that I'll forgive it.
4.8 stars.
