Thursday, January 20, 2011

Book Recommendation - XVI

XVI
By Julia Karr


XVI


Blurb from Goodreads: "Nina Oberon's life is pretty normal: she hangs out with her best friend, Sandy, and their crew, goes to school, plays with her little sister, Dee. But Nina is 15. And like all girls she'll receive a Governing Council-ordered tattoo on her 16th birthday. XVI. Those three letters will be branded on her wrist, announcing to all the world—even the most predatory of men—that she is ready for sex. Considered easy prey by some, portrayed by the Media as sluts who ask for attacks, becoming a "sex-teen" is Nina's worst fear. That is, until right before her birthday, when Nina's mom is brutally attacked. With her dying breaths, she reveals to Nina a shocking truth about her past—one that destroys everything Nina thought she knew. Now, alone but for her sister, Nina must try to discover who she really is, all the while staying one step ahead of her mother's killer."

 This was a fantastic book.  Fast paced, always learning something new about the society and world, a little romance, and a young girl standing up for her rights.  Wow.


Nina is an easy character to identify with.  She's clever and tough, but still has a soft heart.  She would, and does, do anything to protect her little sister.  The world is a lot to get used to at once.  Karr wastes no time with introductions, you just dive right into the world of PAV's, blasting media campaigns, and teens being portrayed as nothing more than a sex toy.  That's right.  I said it out loud.  But Nina is different, she doesn't believe in the propaganda, and longs for a life at a slower pace.

On top of their social caste system, her mother's death, and her growing infatuation with a boy to deal with, Nina is running from a murderer and searching for the truth.


This is a page turner that you won't want to put down unfinished.  Karr's writing and world gripped me from the beginning.  One thing I really liked was that she doesn't waste too much time on descriptions of the world.  Something is introduced, used, and we're done.  I like that.  I tend to, uh, skim long detailed passages, so it suited my style.  It definitely gets a high recommendation from me. 


Has anyone else read it yet?  What did you think?

14 comments:

Marquita Hockaday said...

YES! I just finished it Tuesday night and I actually LOVED it :) When I started reading, I was a lil' confused by the lingo and terms, but I know how to use context clues (unlike those people who must have all things spelled out for them) and I eventually "got it." I'm def. the same way with the skimming of long detailed passages, I think Karr did a great job of weaving in small details of the world without spending pages upon pages explaining every single detail to us. And omigod--without spoiling anything for others--the ending def. left me wanting for more!!! Great review.

Holly Hill said...

Quita, I agree. When I first started I was a little confused by all the new lingo, but I caught on quickly. And I definitely could have kept reading and reading. lol Do you know if this is going to be a series? Glad you liked it too!!

Pam Harris said...

Great review! I get to steal this from Quita since she finished reading it. :) I'm like you guys, my eyes tend to glaze over lengthy descriptions. I like my imagery blunt and to the point. Hey, did you have many typos in your book? Quita kept pointing them out, and she didn't know if she got a defective copy or something. Either way, can't wait to read it!

Erinn said...

It's on my list--- I have a really long list and it keeps getting longer. Awesome review

Holly Hill said...

Pam, I read the ebook on my Nook and only noticed a couple typo errors. That's weird though.

Erinn, it's worth moving to the top. ;) lol

Jennifer Hoffine said...

Man, this sounds so good...they don't have it at my library or on Audible yet.

LTM said...

interesting! I'd been seeing it, but didn't know what it was about~

I'll have to add it to my TBR mountain! :D

Claire Dawn said...

What you and Marquita said about the details intrigues me. I miss out on details when it's in bunches. This is already in my TBR.

Susan said...

This sounds GREAT! I will definitely look into it -- thanks, Holly!

Abby Stevens said...

This is at the top of my to-read pile. I'm very excited about it! Great review, Holly. :)

Alicia Gregoire said...

You've convinced me. *runs to add to Goodreads*

Sarah said...

I just added it to my Amazon wishlist. :)

Hey Holly, I've nominated you for the Stylish Blogger Award. Because you're stylish. Hope you can use it!

Details:
http://glissadesandgabble.blogspot.com/2011/01/post-in-which-i-am-stylish.html

KatOwens: Insect Collector said...

whoa! sounds awesome!

Karen Strong said...

I've heard some good things about this book. I read the first chapter in the bookstore on it's on my TBR List. Looks like I need to move it up a little higher.