Deviation by Christine Manzari is the first in an independently published YA dystopian trilogy. In Manzari’s world, following a devastating terrorist attack the US government set up the Sophisticates program of human genetic engineering to produce smarter, faster, better soldiers in the war on terror. The Sophisticates are divided into two groups, the Vanguard who are the intellectual ones, groomed to be the country’s next leaders and the Mandates who are those designed to be physically strong. We follow the story of teenager Cleo, who is the product of such engineering as she learns more about the truth of her conception. I really enjoyed this novel. I felt it was well written with an interesting protagonist, intriguing setting and good character development. What I liked Good concept well executed. The basic concept of the genetic engineering was very well done and interesting. There was the added interest of Cleo’s special abilities and what that means for her. I look forward to seeing where Manzari goes with this in future books. Nerds vs jocks. It was an interesting take that our protagonist who was raised as a Vanguard suddenly finds herself in a school for Mandates. There is some fun exploration…
Through Netgalley I was offered an advanced reader’s copy of YA time travel novel The Here and Now by Ann Brashares. It tells the story of Prenna James, a time traveller and refugee in our time from a future in which global warming and plagues have left the world devastated. She and her community of fellow refugees must live by strict rules for their protection and that of those native to their adopted time. One of these includes refraining from an intimate relationship with a local. Naturally Prenna meets a boy… In general, I found The Here and Now to be a very fun, if light, read. The time travel refugee concept was interesting but so much more could have been done with it. The whole concept of time paradoxes (you know, the old chestnut, you can’t travel back in time and kill your own grandfather) was ignored and the issue of Prenna’s adaptation to the new society was glossed over. What I liked The concept. The idea of refugees escaping back in time from a devastated future was very interesting. The list of rules by which they must live is very interesting, too – I did struggle to understand…
The Darkest Minds: Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken is the followup to The Darkest Minds. This series tells the story of Ruby, a young girl living in a world where most of the children have been killed by a virus but the survivors have been left with supernatural powers. Ruby is one such survivor with the power to control other people’s minds. The country has been left devastated by the loss of the children and fear of those who remain. Ruby and her friends are running from place to place trying to find safety. I adored both The Darkest Minds and the novella In Time so it was a little surprising that I was somewhat disappointed by Never Fade. It actually took me several attempts to sit down and read it. This is the second book in an expected trilogy, perhaps it was a little of middle book syndrome. This also appears to be at the lowest point of our protagonist’s arc, and as such I found it a little depressing. Ruby is dealing with a lot of guilt, doubt and self loathing in this book which makes it rather a dark read. I also missed the camaraderie between Ruby,…
Pawn by Aimee Carter is a YA dystopian novel that tells the story of Kitty Doe a young woman whose similarity in looks to the niece of the Prime Minister catapults her into a dangerous game of politics. I absolutely loved this book and breezed through it so quickly. What I liked The setting. Carter has done a wonderful job in creating the setting for Pawn. Kitty lives in a society in which every member sits a test on his or her seventeenth birthday which determines his or her worth to society and therefore his or her caste. In Kitty’s world, as in ours, a formal test isn’t always a true indicator of a person’s intelligence and Kitty’s dyslexia means she is assigned a lower ranking than she’d hoped and that her intelligence deserves. She is clearly very smart, but not in a way that can be reflected in a written exam. Kitty’s rank is tattooed on her neck, implying that once a rank is assigned there is no way of improving one’s status in life in Kitty’s world. Those who are judged to be able to provide no value to society are banished to “Elsewhere’ and one of the…