I received this novel as an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I was looking into finding a new YA fiction novel, and having this one being compared to The Giver, which is one of my all-time favorite books, made it a must-read. Here is my review:
In the city of Ark, speech is limited to 500 words that are part of an approved lexicon. Break the rules and you face banishment. The only exceptions to this rule are the Wordsmith and his apprentice, Letta, who are responsible for keeping and archivign all language in this post-apocalyptic world. When Letta discovers that her master is dead, she is suddenly promoted to Wordsmith. However, she soon uncovers a sinister plot to rob ARk’s citizens of their power of speech. Now, it’s up to Letta to save not only words, but culture itself.
For a middle school/ YA fiction story, this is quite good. Is it the most unique thing I’ve read? No. But it is interesting and the author does quite a good job in putting her spin on this situation. Letta was a strong character and I really enjoyed her perspective. She was brave, caring, and downright righteous in her actions and thoughts. I wish that the story had been a bit longer so that the plot could have been more fleshed out, but again, this is a book for middle schoolers and it is quite successful in keeping children of that age group interested. The only negative for this story was that the antagonist didn’t really have a strong reason for his actions; if that had been worked out a bit better, this novel would have been even more successful. While I normally do not read books for middle schoolers, this was quite a good story and I would recommend it to any child who likes dystopian novels.
Hapy reading ~