Striking out into the wasteland with nothing but her baby sister, a handful of supplies, and a rumor to guide her, sixteen-year-old midwife Gaia Stone survives only to be captured by the people of Sylum, a dystopian society where women rule the men who drastically outnumber them, and a kiss is a crime. In order to see her sister again, Gaia must submit to their strict social code, but how can she deny her sense of justice, her curiosity, and everything in her heart that makes her whole?
I absolutely devoured the first installment of this trilogy, Birthmarked, in 2011. So, naturally I was thrilled when my library got this book in - I had been dying to see how Gaia's story continued. Thankfully, I was not let down, and am now eagerly anticipating the third book in the series.
One of my favorite aspects of this trilogy will continue to be the heroine, Gaia. She is a remarkably believable character, especially given the setting of these novels. What I enjoy about her is her belief in her personal principles, and her sense of integrity. These character traits, while so important, often go overlooked in YA novels, which is too bad! In this novel, she has to decide what is more important/the "right" thing - sacrificing her personal beliefs, or sacrificing those close to her. It's a fascinating inner conflict to watch play out. This novel also sees further development of the primary love interest, Leon, though not as much as I would have liked. To be honest, the other members of the love... square? rectangle? (even Gaia doesn't know what to call it!) were much more endearing to me. The brothers Chardo, Will and Peter, were both dorky, awkward, and completely melt-worthy.
The plot of this novel was completely captivating, pretty much from the outset. The story starts off with a bang as Gaia gets captured and brought to Sylum. From the description above, it's easily deduced this is one creepy society, but the summary does not do it justice! To think of a place where the population is dying off due to low female numbers, and the desperation that must cause in everyone, is a bit mind-bending. I could certainly sympathize with the women, who are hoping to keep control of a powder keg set to go off, and the men, who just want the same rights as everyone else. While some parts in the novel dragged a bit (for example, Gaia is under house arrest for an entire chapter...), there were plenty of surprises and romantic intrigues to keep me engaged. I found the amount of romance surprising, actually, given the first book was largely focused on other ideas. However, in a community where touching and flirtations are extremely limited, it seems only natural relationships (and navigating the rules) would take the spotlight.
There is one potential snafu with this novel. Though dystopian fiction is designed to question social boundaries and rules, this particular book hits on a very sensitive topic: abortion. Helping women miscarry could feasibly fall within the realm of Gaia's midwife duties, but it's clear in this book that it is NOT for medical reasons, but rather because of harsh societal norms. Also, there is an odd seemingly side-plot involving therapeutic drug use (no more info here, as it would involve some bummer spoilers).
So, overall, I personally would rate this book extremely high. However, as a teacher, I would be careful to whom I recommend it. For those who are staunch in their beliefs, this book could be offensive (the Dark Materials trilogy comes to mind as having a similar issue). This book is set in the future in a completely fictionalized location, so I think most readers could be alright with the content (after all, most of my students have gone crazy for Unwind, which also explores the abortion debate). But, be wary of sensitive readers, as reading should be a pleasurable experience, not one that offends.
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