Friday, February 3, 2012

Book Review: The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

Title: The Pledge


Author: Kimberly Derting


Synopsis: In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.


Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime.


Review:



a.) Characters: 4/5 score.  Charlie (Charlaina) is a strong character, and I was easily pulled into her story.  Her friends, Brook and Aron, never get lost in the love romance between Charlie and Max.  Max did fall insta-love with Charlie, and I hate that, but I loved that Charlie fought it when he gave in so easily.  All the characters had a personality, each one a defined face, and each a role that held the story together.  


b.) Plot: 3/5 score.  It was more fantasy than dystopia.  That being said I loved the fantasy.  I didn’t have too hard of a time grasping this plot with the idea that it was more of a fantasy world.  Also, I would guess where she was taking the story before it got there.  Not such a bad thing when Derting got you hyped for it to run that way, but it was a little bit of a let down when you guess where it’s going, and then you get there, and you ended up exactly where you thought you’d be.  


c.) Writing style: 4/5 score.  Descriptive, very vivid and picturesque, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.  Derting certainly hyped up the tension, even if it was leading you right to where you knew you’d be.  I didn’t have a hard time reading this, which was nice since I had under 24 hours to complete this book from PulseIt.  I definitely want to continue the series, and possibly look into other works done by her.  


Rating: 11/15 total

I enjoyed this more than I realized.  Even if I had more time to read it, I think I still would've finished it within the 24 hours anyway.  It was an addictive read, and one that I was engrossed with needing to know more about the characters, the plot, and how everything was going to turn out.  I did not like that there wasn't any surprise to any of the twists as I guessed each and every one of them, but kudos for trying.  ;-)

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