Allira Daniels will do anything to keep her family safe from the Institute. They claim to protect the Defectives, but really the Defectives are trapped and segregated.
Allira's brother Shilah is not dangerous like everyone assumes all Defectives are. He just sees things before they happen, and Allira knows that if anyone finds out, they will turn on the entire Daniels family. So they live by one simple rule: be invisible. They try to blend in at school, try not to draw unnecessary attention to themselves. But when Allira witnesses a car accident that critically injures two of her classmates, her family’s rule and her dad’s warnings are tossed aside.
Allira is quick to discover that saving Drew’s life could just be the best and worst thing she’s ever done.
My Review:
"You always fear what you don't understand."
- Carmine Falcone, Batman Begins.
Any dystopian tale is immediately going to be compared the The Hunger Games and the Divergent series.
There are immediate and noticeable parallels with these two giants of YA fiction, but also new and interesting layers that the author has weaved into her story.
A new novelist can have a great idea in their head, but it needs fleshing out on paper and on screen, and for those of us who have written books, we can fully understand where she is coming from.
The book has a rather slow start but there are signs even in the early stages, that this was going to be a great book. And so it came to pass.
Our heroine, Allira invites us inside her head as The Institute is told from first person. That's never as easy as one would think, it relies upon the reader getting alongside the main character, and understanding her motivations.
Through a freakish accident Allira discovers she is Defective, which in her case means she will take part, unwilling, in a game of will she or won't she be killed.
The Defectives, for there are more than one appear at different points throughout the story. It's important to stick with the story, especially in the early chapters, to see where it's going to take you. Bear in mind the Council of Elrond scene in Lord of the Rings (the book) is far too long and over descriptive. The reader is all for vivid descriptions but it would be nice for the reader to work them out too.
Fortunately, when The Institute finds its feet, Allira is no longer focussed on some girlish trivia - she actually starts to learn what it is to be Defective. The story takes glee in kicking us in the gut several times, and at this point, we're hooked!
Kayla Howarth's description of the world in which this story takes place is the real star. It's not bleak by accident or design, it is a realistic, gritty story that soon becomes unputdownable, fully realising its early promise.
I didn't immediately warm to Allira, but as the story progresses and some real humdingers of a reveal happen in the story's closing stages, I began to cheer for her. Comparisons to Katniss or Tris are inevitable but I feel we would be doing the author's creation a disservice by saying 'take Allira out, put Katniss in, we've got the same story here.'
I would argue that Miss Howarth has created an even better story here - this is book one in the series so there is more to come. Whilst I loved The Hunger Games, it was clear book one was THE book in the series.
When The Institute ends, it's clear that there is more story to come that will tease, entice and enthrall. There is a peek into book two which I decided not to read, because I'm already invested in this series and want to read it in its entirety.
From my own personal perspective, I loved the training sequences where Allira is learning to fight:-
"I'm so distracted by Chad and Ebbodeine that I get hit in the face by my sparring partner numerous times.......I manage to get a few good jabs in when they tell us class is over. Damn it, I was just getting warmed up."
Loved that. In my own experience, the bell goes just when I'm getting warmed up for a fight!
Another line I loved:-
"You don't know how far you've come until you're taken back, back to a time of complete innocence."
Gosh, doesn't something like that make you think? It's not some twee, pretentious line to throw away. I found myself breaking from reading the story just to take some of that in. That's the author's skill, and her power - she makes you think whilst you are reading!
The last third is a heady mix of thrills and revelations. As for the ending, I could not have wished for better. Once the story gets going, it sweeps you along with it.
I would be very surprised if this story didn't be the next dystopian tale to hit the big screen. Before you all feel washed out by Mockingjay Part 2 to come, along with the next Divergent film, give this story a chance. Those who do can say? "Oh, all this hullaboloo about The Institute series? We read it FIRST."
My thanks to the author for introducing me to this amazing book. There is a Kayla in one of my books too, and whilst I think it's one of the most awesome names in the world, this is my critique of the book, not the author.
This is a terrific tale that deserves to be on your read list. get it so you can read it now, and tell all your friends. They'll be glad you did.
No comments:
Post a Comment