Friday, April 8, 2016

Book review - Flawed

Title: Flawed
Author: Cecelia Ahern
Genre: dystopia
Similar books: Rite of Rejection by Sarah Negovetich
                     Soulprint by Megan Miranda
Rating:
an interesting beginning

Summary(provided by publisher): Celestine North lives a perfect life. She's a model daughter and sister, she's well-liked by her classmates and teachers, and she's dating the impossibly charming Art Crevan.
But then Celestine encounters a situation in which she makes an instinctive decision. She breaks a rule and now faces life-changing repercussions. She could be imprisoned. She could be branded. She could be found FLAWED.
In her breathtaking young adult debut, bestselling author Cecelia Ahern depicts a society in which obedience is paramount and rebellion is punished. And where one young woman decides to take a stand that could cost her everything.

My opinion: The dystopia trend is definitely on it's way out. It seemed, recently, that every version of the oppressive society had been written. Ahern has brought us a new variation. Is it restrictive? Sure. But rather than limiting choice, it limits morals. It evaluates the decision making process of its citizens rather than their actions exclusively. In presentation, this is fairly standard. We see Celestine perfectly accepting of society's rules until they have a direct negative impact on her life and she finds herself the unwitting center of a burgeoning coup. I was intrigued by the role of the media and the political complexity of the plot. There is room for the future volumes of this series to go in some fascinating directions. Now, characterization isn't great. Celestine is the only truly distinct character. Most everyone she encounters is given a surface treatment at best. So, I'm intrigued but hesitant, especially as the dystopia genre is overdone. It's much harder for the author to distinguish her work.
Advanced Reader Copy provided by NetGalley.

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