In the mood for a cool Dystopian that doesn't force the romance in?? This is your book!!

Although I found the premise is a little far-fetched-- I mean, could we really get to a point where EVERY word and gesture we use is charged??-- I totally fell into the story and the threat of danger that Speth was in. It was very interesting seeing a girl who wasn't planning on being a revolutionary, become a symbol to so many. She didn't have any master plan, she had to figure everything out as she went, but she knew that deep down what she was doing was right. Her inner belief in what she was doing was very inspiring.

It was odd to read a book where the main character doesn't speak one single word. Everything is thought inside her head, but she has very little ways of communicating those thoughts with other people. The first person narration helped to be able to "hear" Speth, and I think if it had been written another way, the reader would have a hard time connecting with her.

Although I already said this seems far-fetched, it did make me think a lot about copyright laws and how far it could actually go. I don't think it would ever get to the point where we had to wear a Cuff to monitor our spoken words, but I could see things becoming a lot more restricted than they are now.

The thing that was missing from this book was the emotion. There are a few things that happen that are really, desperately sad, but I didn't FEEL it the way I should have. Also, there was no romance, which usually I'm a fan of, but a small one would have been nice here. At the very least a glimmer of one would've been something hold on to.

I definitely think you have to suspend disbelief in this book. I had a lot of questions that I had to push aside in order to go along with the story. I get that it's for the good of the story, but in reality the government would have shut this girl down so fast. They had no problem taking people away, so it's hard to believe that someone making a public statement that was causing an uprising, wouldn't be immediately taken out. But I eagerly pushed this aside because I wanted to go on Speth's journey and see the big bad lawyers be slain .

OVERALL: A much needed Dystopian about what the world would be like if copyright laws ran a muck and EVERY word you said had to be paid for. I really liked the main character and the family and friends who helped her along her unexpectedly silent way. There was some suspension of disbelief needed to be able to enjoy this book, but once I put that out of my mind, I was hooked on the intense story to obtain FREEDOM OF SPEECH again.

My Blog:

( )

This was a a super pacy read with some very intriguing ideas. I adored the whole world created and could see how it had come to be, and for that, it gets its strong rating.

However, it fell into the hole dystopians often do--the ending was very meh. Way too all-problems-are-solved, everything-is-magically-okay, way too neat of an ending. And Speth was incredibly meh as a character. Like seriously, after Sam... she's like "oh, I feel a little bit of anger now. How sad." like WHAT I need some character development there. I had to reread to make sure what happened had happened because her reaction was so underwhelming. Other than a brilliant hook of a premise, there wasn't a lot that really made this stand out. ( )

Narrator nit-pick: The letter "t" in the middle of words is actually pronounced with the tongue touching however briefly the hard palate, and NOT with a glottal stop. ( )

This world is disgusting depraved, shocking, and sadly... a far possibility. We may not be charged for words in the future, but how things got blown out of proportion is something we (in the states, at least) do pretty well. (I mean, look at our healthcare.) It was a tough read in that aspect. But, I also enjoyed the dystopian cyberpunk elements. I have a weakness for those. I loved the little details of this story the most. The ads that sing for you to not jump, the Product Placers job position, only the rich affording to drive on the roads, people buying scans of your body (gross, but a dark interesting detail).

Maybe one day the author can write another kind of story set in this world, in another dome, where words are free but there are other social/consumer issues.. I would love that! ( )

In this dystopian world, words. gestures, and pretty much all forms of communication are copyright protected and everyone has to pay for each word they say or gesture they make. If this sounds like a pretty grim existence, it is - and also, most food is "printed" and tastes awful. In such misery, it's no surprise at least two people complete suicide in this novel. Speth, the narrator, causes social upheaval when she decided to go silent, declining to communicate after her fifteenth birthday. Overall, this was a fascinating novel, with plenty of thoughts on copyright law, advertising, and a society focused on consumption of goods. While the world is original, the plot and its direction feel very similar to other YA dystopian novels, so if that's you're thing, this one certainly won't disappoint. ( )