REVIEW! The Pledge.

THE PLEDGE by Kimberly Derting

In the violent country of Ludania, the language you speak determines what class you are, and there are harsh punishments if you forget your place—looking a member of a higher class in the eye can result in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina (Charlie for short) can understand all languages, a dangerous ability she’s been hiding her whole life. Her only place of release is the drug-filled underground club scene, where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. There, she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy who speaks a language she’s never heard, and her secret is almost exposed. Through a series of violent upheavals, it becomes clear that Charlie herself is the key to forcing out the oppressive power structure of her kingdom….

My rating: 4 stars.

MY THOUGHTS:

I went out on a limb here, reading The Pledge. It's admittedly not in my genre of choice - contemporary. BUT. It was mostly everything I could've asked for.

Most notably - the awesome sense of plot and descriptions. Hellooooo, you two! Where have you been in my YA novels? So glad you've returned. That's basically the conversation I had going on in my head. Derting's world just packs this live punch that's great; it's gritty, urban, magical.  And the characters have distinct personalities! It's easy to form connections to them, which helps guide the story. Truth be told, some are cliche, and a bit predictable. But the more developed characters make up for their lacking.

There's some slow build-up, which leads to confusion about just what kind of world they're living in, and why, but everything is resolved in the end.  However, that's where things seem to get a bit screwy.  Characters suddenly do a 180 and show other sides of themselves, causing me to feel detached from them after finally feeling like I knew their purposes within the story. It's a bit offputting and annoying. The way everything - and everyone - ties together seems illogical at times, or presents Oh c'mon, really now? moments/reactions.

But trust me: The Pledge is an awesome thriller. The world is fleshed out, the descriptions spot-on, and the characters more or less come together seamlessly. It's a mingling of all things good. Read it!