My friend lent me this book a while back and I’ve been quite lazy about getting to it. Mostly because we go to different universities so I only have to return it to her when she gets back home. Well, she’s back now and it’s high time I finish this novel. I literally picked it up just a couple hours ago and it’s all done! So here is my quick review:
June and Day live in two completely different spectrums of society in the Republic. June is a prodigy who received a perfect score on the Trials and studies military tactics in an elite university. Day is a Trials failure and is a street criminal constantly fighting against the Republic. Their paths should never have crossed – until Day is accused of killing June’s brother, Metias. In order to avenge his death, June will do anything to capture Day. But as the two come closer and closer, the question emerges: who is the real enemy?
This is your basic teen dystopian novel. It’s written well and has a ton of action. The Trials are reminiscent of the Divergent trilogy and the separation of the poor from the rich recalls the idea of factions from The Hunger Games. But the use of plagues and biochemical warfare is a novel idea and is portrayed quite well in this novel. The romance was a bit heavy but still enjoyable; I’m not a big fan of instant attraction and constant appreciation of beauty but it accomplished the job. I liked that the story was told in two voices as it allowed the reader to see the battle from both sides. Both the characters of June and Day are strong and well-developed; both of them are the main characters and neither take on a lesser role when partnered up together. All in all, it was a quick and enjoyable read and I may even consider reading the next book in the series!
Happy reading ~