Reviewed by: Fredlet
Genre: YA/Dystopian
Approximate word count: 55-60,000 words
Availability
Click
on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords
store
Author:
A former
high school math teacher, S.L. Baum now works as a substitute elementary school
teacher, chauffer for her kids, and novelist. She lives with her family in the
Southwestern United States. Her The
Immortal Ones series has four books, thus far. This book is the beginning
of a new series.
Description:
“Bluebell
has spent the last twelve years of her life at Training Tech, the
government-run boarding school all children are required to attend. Now that
she's seventeen she is fully prepared for Incorporation; a time when females
and males are allowed to mingle again, for the first time since they were
toddlers. It is also the day she must endure Citizen Branding - the mandatory
searing of a mark into the flesh of the left wrist of all new Citizens. O for
fertile, X for infertile. The fate of every Citizen, male or female, is
determined by the results.”
Appraisal:
I was immediately drawn into Bluebell’s world, curious
about Training Tech and Incorporation Day, and wondering about the cause of the
dreams she has “to run… to flee… to hide”. It seems strange to be separated,
with no contact, from the opposite sex during Year Five to Year Seventeen, and
only seeing your parents on Visitation Days. In this future place of Concord,
The Council’s reasons for control over regulating human beings, are eerily
similar to many of the social concerns faced in our society today. As I am
doctor/needle phobic, Ms. Baum’s description of the required Citizen Branding
made me squirm and take a break from reading. Learning about this process—and
the Brand unveiling’s meaning— makes the cover picture and book title very
fitting.
Ms. Baum has created an intriguing new world with
characters displaying distinct personalities making them instantly identifiable
and realistic. As Bluebell and her friends discover their career paths and life
choices, many questions and suspicions are set in motion…some surprising and
others making me feel uncomfortable with the rules and controls in Concord.
This is the first book in a new serial, which sets you up
wanting more. I found myself thinking about the events to come and characters’
futures long after finishing the book. I eagerly await the next edition…Concur
with Concord!
Format/Typo Issues:
Review is based
on a beta (pre-release) version and I’m unable to judge the final product in
this area.
Rating: ***** Five Stars
No comments:
Post a Comment