"Every girl gets one. An XVI tattoo on the wrist -- sixteen. They say they're there for protection. "Some girls can't wait to be sixteen, to be legal. Nina is not one of them. Even though she has no choice in the matter, she knows that so long as her life continues as normal, everything will be okay.
"Then, with one brutal strike, Nina's normal life is shattered; and she discovers that nothing that she believed about her life is true. But there's one boy who can help -- and he may just hold the key to her past.
"But with the line between attraction and danger as thin as a whisper, one thing is for sure... for Nina, turning sixteen promises to be anything but sweet." (Cover blurb on book).
Rating: 4/5
I went shopping yesterday or, perhaps, I went wandering and just so happened upon a bookstore. The point is, I ended up spending and hour and a half trying to decide on the perfect book instead of drinking coffee and writing as I had originally planned. I came home with one... this one (I know, an hour and a half to find one book is a little bit sad, but I might have just been enjoying the new book smell and absorbing the atmosphere).
When I saw this on the shelf, I recognized the title from the list of novels debuting this month and I thought I would give it a go. I started reading at 5:30 yesterday and I read for an hour or so. Then I picked it up again after school today and finished just a little bit ago... kind of watching movies in between chapters. I think I should clarify something right now. I did receive the book that was in the mail and I have started reading that, but this one just caught me.
XVI is a dystopian novel and an addicting read. Set in the year 2150, things have changed. Everything is ruled by the Governing Council and people literally fight to survive in a world that is supposed to be perfect. But that's just the thing, no one thinks anything is wrong. Media is pounded into their heads day after day and there's never enough silence to think for themselves, which is where Nina's journey begins.
I really enjoyed this novel. For a debut, I think it's impressive. The characters were engaging - even the ones I didn't like - and the plot kept me turning pages more rapidly than usual. Nina was a strong lead and her point of view offered the perfect mindset for this story. The only thing that really caught me off guard was the pacing. It seemed to be going along at a nice rate until I got toward the end and I realized there were ten pages left to wrap up everything. I became doubtful, but it turns out that I didn't need to be.
The ending didn't quite feel finished to me at first and the pacing still seemed off, but after looking it up, that's because it isn't finished and some of this is carrying on into the next book. According to the author website, there's supposed to be a sequel coming out at some point (wish I knew when), and this is news that I'm genuinely glad to hear. I'm not done with this world or these characters just yet.
So why the four out of five?
Well, I really was expecting a bit more action regarding the tattoo. I felt there was a lot of build up for what little came of that, but that plot wasn't necessarily the main one - as it seemed in the beginning - and perhaps it'll show up in the sequel.
There was one scene that really kind of threw me off too, but I won't go into that since I don't want to spoil anything for you.
Also, I caught a few typos, which was kind of weird. I've never seen those get through before, but maybe I'm just not usually paying attention.
But, overall and those things aside, I would have to say that I loved this book. I'm interested to see more from this author, and not just the sequel to XVI. For the moment, though, I offer my congratulations to Ms. Karr on a great debut and I recommend this book to any of you interested in YA dystopians.
This book can be found in stores and online:
XVI
Happy reading!
PS: This book is probably best for ages 14 and up.
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