When Ruby woke up on her
tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to
make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that
gets her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government "rehabilitation camp."
She might have survived the mysterious disease that's killed most of America's
children, but she and the others have emerged with something far worse:
frightening abilities they cannot control.
Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones.
When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she's on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her-East River. She joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can't risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents.
When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living.
Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones.
When the truth comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. Now she's on the run, desperate to find the one safe haven left for kids like her-East River. She joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp. Liam, their brave leader, is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can't risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents.
When they arrive at East River, nothing is as it seems, least of all its mysterious leader. But there are other forces at work, people who will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living.
The premise sounded good and original, and for the most part it was. The mythology and history behind the plotline made complete sense, and, scarily, I feel like that’s what’s in in store for our nation someday. This believability factor played throughout the whole book- characters faced problems that were real under the circumstances and reacted how one might expect. I did feel like the book was one of those adventure-journey’s that go on forever, though. They were always running, always on the move, and it took a while to settle into these parts, especially when the scenery was constantly changing. Once I did, though, it was easy to feel right at home, whether in Betty or with the Slip Kid.
The characters, too, took a little time to like, but now I don’t think they’ll ever leave me. Ruby was an interesting main character. From the very beginning I saw she wasn’t what most heroines tend to be these days. She’s not conventionally “strong”. In fact, I would go so far as to say she was rather meek. When she had to, though, there was certainly a fire that burned within her that other characters didn’t have. She was willing to step up and do terrible things that others couldn’t or wouldn’t. This dual nature, though, made it hard to connect with her, even up until the end. I would think I had a grasp on her, but wouldn’t, and that frustrated me. I felt that way about pretty much all the characters, too.
Liam is totally crush worthy- let’s start there. He’s a good guy, too. Not too tough, but somewhat romantic, and also a leader. He hates to see other’s hurt but sometimes has to deal with it. He’s got a past shrouded in some mystery, but he’s honest. I liked him right away and thought his voice was the strongest of the characters, even over Ruby’s. Again, though, the dual nature of him- a really soft hearted guy who led an escape and is on the run in a dangerous world- made it hard to connect. When he and Ruby were together, though, everything would fall into place. Chubs was by far my favorite character. I didn’t like him right away, but once he grew on me, I knew he would be the one I cheered for throughout the novel. I really, really liked him, even though he was rough on the outsides. Finally, Zu. I felt like there was little to work with for her. I liked her, sure, but I never got too connected to her. Maybe it was the age thing, because I find it harder to enjoy younger characters, or maybe it was because she didn’t talk so finding her voice in all the text was rather hard. Whatever it was, she wasn’t a bad character, just not as well developed as I would have liked to see.
I can see why so many people have liked this series (even though I haven’t yet read the sequel, Never Fade). With the dystopian love spreading throughout the book community, there is no reason this shouldn’t be on the top of the list of TBR books for everyone. I’m not especially fond of the genre, however, so that’s why it’s not exactly a favorite. I plan on continuing the series to its end.
Rating: 3 ¾ stars
This was our first book for the book club this year. Next month is Poison Princess by Kresley Cole. Please feel free to follow here, on Tumblr or goodreads where most of the discussions will be held. If you’ve read the book before feel free to join in, too, because we’d love to have you!
