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Review: XVI


XVI by Julia Karr
Out now, Goodreads
Review copy, personal library
4/5 Stars
I bought this one back in January when it came out, but you know how it is with books you own. Between the review copies and the library copies, the ones you own keep getting put on the bottom of the pile.
To Sum it Up: In the future, girls are tattooed with the number 16 on their wrists to signify they are ready to procreate. Nina fears being marked, fears for her mother's safety with her abusive boyfriend, and is about to find out her family's past is way more involved than she thought.
I really liked Nina. In fact, I liked all of the characters (with a special shout out to Gran and Pops who were super great). The plight of poor Nina finding herself kind of gets over shadowed by the Resistance movement, but it is in there.
That being said, the world building in this one could have been better. Cars are "trans", soda is "sparkle" and fridges are "chillers". Whoa, futuristic.
What Karr did really well was create a propaganda filled government that I never once questioned was in complete control over society. I did not see enough of the resistance to understand what they were doing, but that is what sequels are for.
Ed was a truly chilling, believable villain. He's a perfect example of what happens when you give idiots power, even a little bit of power.
As for the whole concept of treating women so poorly in society, as a History major I want to point out that whenever a great civilization slides women's rights are one of the first things to go. I found this to be realistic and very, very frightening.
This is why I worry about a generation of girls growing up on Paris Hilton. *shudders*
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