Recently, I’ve been feeling as if I’m too old to read teen fiction. It may have been because one of my friends scoffed at the fact that I was reading this novel, saying that I’m no longer a teen and shouldn’t be reading YA fiction. Well, to that I say, NO WAY! I love teen fiction and there have been such creative story lines that I can’t help reading them. So yes, this is a teen novel and I am an adult who enjoys reading teen novels. And it was a damn good one! So here is my review:
In order to maintain world peace, the children of world leaders are held hostage by the great Artificial Intelligence ruler of the world, Talis. If a country decides to start a war, their child will die. The system has worked for centuries; no parent wants to condemn their child to death. Greta, Crown Princess of the Panpolar Confederacy, only has a little more time left until she turns 18 and will be free. But until then, she will live – and die – with dignity. But everything changes when Elian, a hostage from a new American alliance, arrives. He is angry and intent to disrupt the system to the best of his abilities. His rebellion opens Greta’s eyes to the cruel way of life and causes Greta to discover her own power. But will she be able to do anything to the mighty Talis? Or will her resistance to the system just lead to her death?
This novel was so gripping that I finished it in less than a day. I loved the idea of AIs controlling the world; in fact, the whole plot was just fascinating! At first, I didn’t really get the impression that Greta was almost full grown; she sounded very much like a child. But everything pulled through perfectly as the story continued. The characters, the logic behind decisions, and the emotions of each situation were beautifully written and the whole story came to life. I could literally see this happening somewhere down the road (which is kind of a scary thought)! All in all, this was a great novel that is definitely worth reading!
Happy reading ~
