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Wednesday, November 28, 2012

WHEN SHE WOKE by HILLARY JORDAN



I am sorry the cover is all blurry because I just could not find an image that was better. The images for this book are all a lurid black and white and this is the one I got as a win from Shannon.

This is a story set in the future and what was creepy about it was that it was not all fantasy or too futuristic  - it was very believable and very apt and something that you could imagine happening in America.

Hannah is a young single woman who gets pregnant and who aborts her child. She is melachromed (skin color changed to a startling red shade) for a fixed period of time. She serves a very short sentence and is then sent out into the world. This world does not accept those who are Yellow, Blue, Green or Red as these all indicate a crime of some nature or the other. The average man on the street is frightened of them and in turn ostracize them and ridicule them and also try to hurt them. Apart from that there is a vigilante group which deliberately seeks to kill them, trying to eliminate them from society altogether.

What does a defenceless young female do in such circumstances. The story of Hannah's flight and eventual arrival in Canada helped along by a group of underground supporters who do not hold with the government's views on the subject of melachroming and its over riding powers over people's lives, brought me very much to the same way the underground Resistance worked in Europe. A network of one person helping the other along and each one only knowing who your immediate contact is so that the entire network does not get blown apart.

This is not a genre which I generally read. I tend to be a bit skeptical about the futuristic novel, but this was one I just couldn't put down. I read it till 2.30am one night, skipped Grey's Anatomy and Junior Masterchef so you can imagine how enthralling the book was.

The story once again of a human's search for survival despite overwhelming odds is again told.
An amazing story and thank you Shannon for sending this on to me.

9 comments:

  1. It was so good you skipped your regular television shows! That's a sign of a good book!!

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  2. I have had this one on my TBR list for ages. Since I have been looking for a book that will keep me up to all hours and totally be immersed in it, this is getting move much closer to the top. Thanks.

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  3. Great review! I thought the book was very well written, but I had some issues with the character. I wish she would have had a chance to make decisions on her own, rather than have her journey be decided for her for the most part.

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  4. That does sound like a good read. thanks for the recommendation. laurie

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  5. Sounds fabulous and like a page turner! I love it when I find a good book - but so true - life does tend to stop when it is really good. I stay up all night too!

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  6. What other book/books did she write?

    I recall her name, but not the book, but I do remember it was good.

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  7. That sounds really interesting I'll have to look into it further!

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  8. I read this one and it really made me think. It sounded so plausible. I was conflicted about so many things but I enjoyed this quite a bit.

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