From the Publisher
"Readers will be captivated and unable to put the book down, haunted at how possible it is for the masses to be controlled, manipulated, and led to allow evil to thrive; how flawed humanity is and how quick humans are to turn their backs on each other; how courageous it is to look inside oneself, take a stand, and do what it is right, even at great cost to oneself. . . Consider this a must-have purchase for all young adult collections."—VOYA, starred review
". . . a compelling thriller that’s very hard to put down. The cliff-hanger ending guarantees readers will be waiting impatiently for the next book in the series."—School Library Journal
"Sharp and entertaining. I had a knot in my gut reading it."—Roddy Doyle
School Library Journal
02/01/2016
Gr 7 Up—In this compulsively readable dystopian novel, biracial 17-year-old Celestine sees things in black and white and would never break society's rules—until she impulsively helps a Flawed man on a bus, an act that's illegal. Her compassionate gesture lands her in jail for aiding a Flawed, and it's certain she'll be judged Flawed, too. Those found Flawed by the Guild have made moral or ethical mistakes in society. Depending on their crime, the Flawed are branded with an "F" on a prominent place on their body and are required to wear an armband and adhere to strict rules. Judge Craven, the Guild's head judge, makes an example of Celestine for threatening his abuse of the Guild's power and for her very public stand against an unjust society. The price she pays is horrific and unprecedented. She becomes the poster child for those who want to make change. The only person Celestine feels understands what she's suffered is the mysterious boy she saw in prison but never actually spoke to. Celestine's shift from believing in the rightness of those judged Flawed to condemning their treatment is a bit too sudden. The brutal descriptions of the branding of those deemed Flawed are not easy to read, but it's a compelling thriller that's very hard to put down. The cliff-hanger ending guarantees readers will be waiting impatiently for the next book in the series. VERDICT For fans of Lauren Oliver's Delirium (HarperCollins) or Hillary Jordan's When She Woke (Algonquin, both 2011).—Sharon Rawlins, New Jersey State Library, Trenton
