This
is a great young adult dystopian novel. Natural disasters had
devastated the U. S. population beginning in 2089. Cities were
decimated. The western half of the U.S. was destroyed as fires raged.
And then an EMP ravaged what was left of the nation.
The
year is 2149. A new nation has risen from the ashes. The
authoritarian government recruits teens for special training. Portia
is an intelligent young woman taken to the center of government to
study to become a leader. But the environment there is not what she
expected. There is no freedom of thought. Questions are not allowed.
She realizes there is a lack of information available. “There is
nothing in our society today to remind us of the past or what lies
outside our borders.” (Loc 4634/6771) Will she be loyal to the
repressive government or rebel and put her own life in danger?
This
is a very well written novel. I am impressed with the plot, the
descriptions and the personality development. Portia is a young woman
who grabbed my emotional support. She is brave yet compassionate. I
really like her and her actions in the novel.
There
are many issues for discussion contained within the plot. There are
many ethical questions Portia faces. Is it right for a person to be
obedient to an oppressive government with a view to advancing to a
position where one can make a difference? There are also issues of
political and historical importance. Portia realizes people need to
know history to avoid past mistakes and learn from successes. What
does one do when an authoritarian government suppresses knowledge of
the past?
I
highly recommend this book. It is well written and thought
provoking. There is a good discussion guide included so this would
make a great book for a teen reading group. I am really looking forward to reviewing the second book in this series next month.
My
rating: 5/5 stars.
Kristen
Hogrefe is an author and teacher who challenges young adults to think
truthfully and live daringly. She has written an young adult suspense
trilogy, Wings of the Dawn. The
Revisionary
is the first in the trilogy, Rogues. She teaches secondary language
arts for Alpha Omega Academy and serves as the middle school girls'
director at her church's youth group. She is a motivational speaker
at graduations and workshop presenter at writers' conferences. She
also serves as a Word Weavers mentor and leads an online writing
group. You can find out more at www.KristenHogrefe.com
Write
Integrity Press, 402 pp.
I
received a complimentary digital copy of this book through Celebrate
Lit. My comments are an independent and honest review.
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