Poster girl by Veronica Roth

Sonya Kantor has spent the last decade locked in the Aperture, a prison on the outskirts of the city after the Delegation fell - the Delegation that she was the Poster Girl for, her face with the slogan 'What's right is right', all over the city. The Delegation and its constant surveillance through the Insight, an ocular implant that tracks every word and every action, rewarding or punishing by a rigid moral code set forth by the Delegation. Then the revolution - the Delegation fell, and its most valuable members were locked in the Aperture. Everyone else, now free from the Insight's monitoring, went on with their lives. Ten years of being imprisoned and a new law is passed, releasing those who were children under the Delegation. Sonya falls just outside of the age limit having been 17 when imprisoned, however the new government, Triumvirate, offers her a deal - find a missing child stolen from her parents by the old regime and earn her freedom. Going out into the world she has been shut out off for a decade, that has changed drastically, she will have to dig deep into the past to find the missing child.

Roth, author of the popular dystopian Divergent series, has created another dystopian world in which readers can easily see themselves. Technology has merged with humans and everyone is heavily reliant on it, and the government observes every move you make. Well written and evenly paced, this stand alone novel is a great dystopian mystery, perfect for fans of both genres. Given the character's age, 27 years old, and the content of the story, this novel is more suited to an adult audience. There are flashbacks to when the character is 16 and 17 years old, but the majority of the story occurs when Sonya is 27.

Themes: Dystopian; Science Fiction; Mystery; Trust; Governments; Rebellion; Revolution; Relationships.

Melanie Pages