LOWDOWN:
YOU CAN BE A VII. IF YOU GIVE UP EVERYTHING.
For Kitty Doe, it seems like an easy choice. She can either spend her life as a III in misery, looked down upon by the higher ranks and forced to leave the people she loves, or she can become a VII and join the most powerful family in the country.
If she says yes, Kitty will be Masked—surgically transformed into Lila Hart, the Prime Minister’s niece, who died under mysterious circumstances. As a member of the Hart family, she will be famous. She will be adored. And for the first time, she will matter.
There’s only one catch. She must also stop the rebellion that Lila secretly fostered, the same one that got her killed …and one Kitty believes in. Faced with threats, conspiracies and a life that’s not her own, she must decide which path to choose—and learn how to become more than a pawn in a twisted game she’s only beginning to understand.
FIRST IMPRESSION:
Risking my life to steal an orange was a stupid thing to do, but today of all days, I didn’t care about the consequences. If I were lucky, the Shields would throw me to the ground and put a bullet in my brain.
Dead at seventeen. It would be a relief.
–ARC paperback edition
SNAPSHOT:
Kitty Doe, seventeen and a III, proves to be a much more likable and pragmatic heroine than that of the author’s previous work. This is a unique take on the dystopian tropes and the prince-and-the-pauper type tales. Kitty will force readers to ask important questions that any student can sympathize with: are we more than a test grade tells us we are? Can we rise above society’s expectations of us and prove our worth to ourselves?
As can often be the case in such plots, there comes a point where the action slows down for the politicking, backstabbing, and talking heads to take center stage. The ending promises more action to come!
Appropriate for ages 14+. Strong language, violence, intense and difficult situations, and murder. Deals with rebellion, identity, corrupt power, and the repercussions of our choices.
GET IT ON YOUR SHELF:
If you…
– Enjoy the Birthmarked series
– Need a fresh new dystopian
– Ever did the wrong thing for the right reasons
– Have ever felt that you are more than the world gives you credit for
THE ESSENTIALS:
Dystopian YA
Hardcover & Ebook, 352 pages
Published November 26th, 2013 by HarlequinTEEN (ISBN 0373210558)
www.harlequin.com/storeitem.html?iid=29409
(Review copy provided by HarlequinTEEN.)