I had heard a lot about this book as it really made the rounds in the blogging circles as the author/publisher wanted to get the buzz out.
That said, I sort of hesitated to read it because it seemed a little blah.
You guys know that my genre of choice is Young Adult Dystopian Fiction, and this is right up that alley, but the premise of a society that cut out the emotional section of their brains at 18 seemed a little silly to me.
I must say I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Not the best I’ve ever read, no. But I enjoyed it and it kept my attention and actually had me wanting to read the sequal. SO?
I give it a wobbly 4 stars (though it’s more of a 3.5 stars) and I do recommend it.
Summary:
Lena Haloway is content in her safe, government-managed society. She feels (mostly) relaxed about the future in which her husband and career will be decided, and looks forward to turning 18, when she’ll be cured of deliria, a.k.a. love. She tries not to think about her mother’s suicide (her last words to Lena were a forbidden “I love you”) or the supposed “Invalid” community made up of the uncured just beyond her Portland, Maine, border. There’s no real point—she believes her government knows how to best protect its people, and should do so at any cost. But 95 days before her cure, Lena meets Alex, a confident and mysterious young man who makes her heart flutter and her skin turn red-hot. As their romance blossoms, Lena begins to doubt the intentions of those in power, and fears that her world will turn gray should she submit to the procedure. In this powerful and beautifully written novel, Lauren Oliver, the bestselling author of Before I Fall, throws readers into a tightly controlled society where options don’t exist, and shows not only the lengths one will go for a chance at freedom, but also the true meaning of sacrifice
- Hardcover: 448 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins (February 1, 2011)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0061726826
Destiny Cole 