Once again I find myself struggling to write a review for this book. Not because I didn't like it, but because ultimately it left me feeling disappointed. And I don't like feeling disappointed in something that I liked so much through the middle.
This book begins with one of our two narrators, Day, as he watches his family be inspected to determine if they have come down with the plague. He tells us that his family believes him to be dead, but really he is the most wanted criminal in the whole of the Republic. I really liked Day. I found him interesting, insightful, and suspicious for all the right reasons. You have to feel sympathy for the boy who failed his Trial tests and was sent to a government labor camp to spend the rest of his days. Through this introduction you are left wondering how the world got this way, but alas the book never tells you.
The rest of the story alternates between Day and June. Day is accused of the murder of June's brother. June is brought into the military life immediately to hunt Day down and bring him to justice. But along the way she manages to get to know him a little and has a hard time believing he was capable of killing her brother so callously. This begins her journey to figure out what happened and if she should truly hate this boy who is just barely older than she is. And if he is innocent, what really did happen and why was it blamed on this boy?
Overall the story moved at a quick pace but not so quick that you get lost in it. The characters made me care about them and I sympathized with the plight of each of them. But the end just left me with a lot of questions and a set up for a sequel. I wanted to know how the world ended up this way, but was never told. I wanted to know exactly what it was about Day that the Republic found so threatening, all I got were some vague answers that didn't really explain much of anything. Being an entertaining story can only get you so far when you don't give the answers to the reader's questions. So, I would be interested in reading this book's sequel but I want some answers or I, for one, will not be a happy reader.
Note: All reviews are also posted to my Goodreads profile.
This book begins with one of our two narrators, Day, as he watches his family be inspected to determine if they have come down with the plague. He tells us that his family believes him to be dead, but really he is the most wanted criminal in the whole of the Republic. I really liked Day. I found him interesting, insightful, and suspicious for all the right reasons. You have to feel sympathy for the boy who failed his Trial tests and was sent to a government labor camp to spend the rest of his days. Through this introduction you are left wondering how the world got this way, but alas the book never tells you.
The rest of the story alternates between Day and June. Day is accused of the murder of June's brother. June is brought into the military life immediately to hunt Day down and bring him to justice. But along the way she manages to get to know him a little and has a hard time believing he was capable of killing her brother so callously. This begins her journey to figure out what happened and if she should truly hate this boy who is just barely older than she is. And if he is innocent, what really did happen and why was it blamed on this boy?
Overall the story moved at a quick pace but not so quick that you get lost in it. The characters made me care about them and I sympathized with the plight of each of them. But the end just left me with a lot of questions and a set up for a sequel. I wanted to know how the world ended up this way, but was never told. I wanted to know exactly what it was about Day that the Republic found so threatening, all I got were some vague answers that didn't really explain much of anything. Being an entertaining story can only get you so far when you don't give the answers to the reader's questions. So, I would be interested in reading this book's sequel but I want some answers or I, for one, will not be a happy reader.
Note: All reviews are also posted to my Goodreads profile.
