Juvenile Fiction
Hyperion
2012-12-18
496
"Sixteen-year-old Ruby breaks out of a government-run 'rehabilitation camp' for teens who acquired dangerous powers after surviving a virus that wiped out most American children"--
Review:
To put this out there right up front, this is one of my favorite books ever and the beginning of one of my top three favorite dystopian series.
Ruby and company are part of a generation of children who have developed various powers, each given a different color code. The government locks them into camps to try to “cure” them. Obviously, this is not how it goes, because if they just went to camp and were cured there would be no plot to speak of. I’ll leave it to you to read the book and find out what happens.
Ruby is a refreshing character in the world of young adult dystopias. While she does have quite a bit of naiveté when it comes to interactions with the outside and boys due to being sent to the camp when she was ten, she is certainly not slow to pick up on things. She takes help and needs help but is by no means a damsel in distress. Others need her just as badly as she needs them. All too often these types of novels leave the heroine in somewhat of an intellectual fog when it comes to adaptation to their new environments, but Ruby does not suffer from that. This is part of why I love it so much.
The other characters are all wonderful. Each one has a well-developed back story that is compelling and heartbreaking. This is not a novel where you find anyone with an easy life. Getting to know them on such an intimate level made me become invested in the novel as whole, not just as it related to Ruby, and made me feel genuine panic when the fates of some became unknown.
The author clearly thought out the motivations of every character in a scene before writing it. None of it is muddled, and it all fits perfectly with their history and current circumstances. None of it seems out-of-place and it makes the plot flow beautifully leaving no room for holes in a character’s plot line. It’s an excellent example for those looking for what to do when it comes to character development.
There is one scene that is particularly disturbing in a sexual consent and control issue way. It’s intense enough that I feel it warrants a description here rather than a brief mention in the content warnings. One character takes advantage of another by using their powers. It’s somewhat ambiguous as to the exact nature of what occurred, but it is definitely creepy and a possible trigger for some. That being said, it is in no way gratuitous and does serve to further both character development and plot. In my opinion, it’s a delicate subject that is handled well.
I cannot end this review without mentioning the world-building aspect. That is my favorite part of any non-realistic fiction type novel and Alexandra Bracken does not disappoint. It’s a world still very much like how we live today, but one going downhill fast. The best parts of the small details that make perfect sense but many would not even think to add. For example, what would the radio play in an absence of teenagers? Oldies. Don’t even get me started on how they are used, because as a combined biblio- and audiophile I may never stop speaking.
Overall, I recommend this book to the point that were I a rich man I would buy all of you reading this review a copy. Well-written, well-developed, heartbreaking, and really darn fun.
Content Warning:
Language, Violence, Sexual Situations, General Intense Situations
