Simon Pulse, 2011
404 pages
YA; Dystopian
2/5 stars
Source: Received an ARC via Simon & Schuster's GalleyGrab program.
I knew this was dystopian but I didn't know what the parameters of the society were. Even now, I'm not entirely sure. I will attempt to explain what I undestand but that won't take too long-SPOILERS?
Violet is "matched" with Zenn but ends up in jail with bad-boy Jag (not a fan of the names for the boys) and spends much of the book alternately questioning who she is interested in. Zenn's her best friend and they were supposed to get married but Jag apparently attracts her. He attracts her because he is "bad" and she has always been called "bad."
Together they seem to have various powers that involve mental manipulation. The most annoying part was Jag repeatedly promising not to use his power of voice manipulation and saying that Vi can trust him and then turning around and betraying her. I did not count how many times that happened but it was enough for me to want to yell at the book. There is also some relationship that connects the three but I'm not entirely sure I understood it.
The other problem was I didn't understand the dystopian society. I think the "Thinkers" brainwash the citizens but I don't know how society degenerated to that point, I don't understand how the current leadership works (over what parts do they have jurisdiction; how is their hierarchy structured?), what powers are possessed by people, etc.
The part I did like was the ending, which completely shocked me. I kept reading, not expecting much but that blew me away and actually left me NOT desiring a sequel unless said sequel would explain the world more clearly to me.
Overall: Very confusing
Read for YA Debut Author's Challenge and E-book challenge.
Oh, too bad. I was hoping for good things, but one thing that really bothers me about dystopians is when the author doesn't fully explain the world (how it works and how it got that way). The love story parts sound like they'd irritate me, too. Thank you very much for your review. I think I'll be passing now.
ReplyDeleteWow, this book sounds weird. It seems it has an intriguing premise that is just weakly executed. In dystopian novels, it is important to know what a society is about, otherwise there's no point. Too bad this book didn't deliver. I have to say, though, that I love the cover.
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