SOVEREIGNTY
by Anjenique Hughes
Morgan James Publishing
YA Dystopian
262 pages
Under the totalitarian reign of the 23rd century's world's government- The Sovereign Regime- control is made possible by the identity chip implanted in every human being, recording everything that is seen, done, and experienced.
No more bank accounts.
No more smart phones.
No more secrets.
When Goro inadvertently overhears an exchange of sensitive information, causing him to confront the truth about his world and prompting him to choose his true loyalties, his dream of revolution kicks into high gear. Goro doesn't know he has covert intel in his possession both the SR and the resistance movement are desperate to acquire.
Determined to attempt the impossible task of bringing down the world government, he and his closest friends gain access to the key to ultimately deciding who has sovereignty.
But who will get to Goro first: The resistance or the Sovereign Regime?
MY TIDBITS
Taking a ride on technological development, this book dives into a future of societal control, power hungry leaders and a teenager whose been so broken that he wants to change it all.
Goro doesn't have it bad. He has a supportive, caring family, everything he needs to live a comfortable life and a pretty bright future. But every part of life is ruled by laws, and even small misdemeanors mean violent punishments. When he accidentally runs across information he shouldn't hear, chaos breaks out around him and whatever was nice in his world is destroyed.
The hostility of Goro's world is tangible from the very first page and thrusts the reader into a future, which in many ways, doesn't appear to be out of the realm of possibility. The idea of implanted chips replacing credit cards, cell phones and such isn't far stretched, and sets a good argument for the possible outcome it has on society.
Although set in the future, there are many familiar details, which bring the world to life. Even with the strict environment, Goro and his friends act, think and have worries comparable to modern teenagers, making them likable and easy to relate to. Goro's and several of the other characters' speech patterns were sprinkled with a wide variety of puns and phrases skimming through several time periods. Although this gave them definite personalities, it makes for an odd mish-mash.
A complex system has been formed to rule the future, but the author drops in many details throughout the first chapters which make the background and inner workings pretty clear. These information drops are sprinkled in slowly through Goro, so that it doesn't come all at once. This slows down the general pace, and allows the reader time to settle into the world and the characters. First, after the beginning half of the book, the action finally goes into full speed and danger truly takes over.
The story is told through Goro at times, and other times, it's set in third person through others points of view. Although a little jarring, it was easy to follow and made the reasoning behind characters' actions clear. There were several holes and loose ends in the general story line, but this was only the first book in the series, and the ending made it clear that it's more of the introduction to what is still to come. In many ways, this first book gives spends time developing a longer introduction to Goro and his world. The action and high stakes grow quickly at the end, and leave off with the promise of much more to come.
And here she is. . .
ANJENIQUE HUGHES!!!
With master's degrees in education, special education, and counseling, Anjenique "Jen" Hughes is a high school English and math teacher who loves teaching and mentoring young people. She enjoys traveling and has worked with youth on five continents. Saying she is "young at heart" is an understatement; she is fluent in sarcasm, breaks eardrums with her teacher voice (students have complained when they were within earshot), and cracks sarcastic jokes with the best of her students. Her work with ethnically and socioeconomically diverse youth has inspired her to write books that appeal to a broad variety of students seeking stories of bravery, perseverance, loyalty, and success.
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3 comments:
This sounds very tense!
Thanks for the amazing review! :)
-Anjenique
This looks great! Thanks for the review.
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