ARC Review--The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

Words are the most dangerous weapon of all.

In the violent country of Ludania, the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution. Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages of all classes, and she’s spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.

Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can’t be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country’s only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime.

I received this e-ARC from S&S Galley Grab for review

I totally loved Kimberly Derting's the Body Finder series and was curious about her new book, The Pledge. So when it was available with S&S Galley Grab, I jumped at the chance to read it early and it was a fabulous read!

I'm still easing into the dystopian genre, for it's not my regular cup of tea since I prefer the paranormal, but I wasn't at all disappointed with this one! There's still the sense of the unknown, you could say, in the storyline that makes it an interesting read. Lots of secrets are floating about and Charlie's world is going to come crashing down with the revelations.

The world they live in, is obviously set into the future, for we learn this with subtle hints dropped here and there, and yet it seems like it's in the past because there isn't a whole lot of technology floating about. But then things like cars, will pop up and make you realize that we are in the future. A strange future with a queen ruling the lands. Which is another mystery itself, for she has a dark secret that steadily becomes revealed with time.

As always, it's hard for me to say just how awesome this book was without giving away spoilers. Charlie is quite the character though. With her secret ability to understand all languages, even ones she shouldn't, her life is always at risk. But she has learned to school her reactions with the "higher ups" and not reveal that she can understand them. Naturally her life gets turned upside down when she meets Max, who speaks a language she's never heard before, but still understands it, can still speak it if she wanted to. 

But Max is a mystery himself. She's not sure just exactly who he is or where his loyalties lie. And when the queen's reign is nearing its end, there is inexplicable danger arising, and Charlie, naturally, is in the thick of things.

The world building of this novel was just amazing! Like I said it is set in the future, but you would think it would be the past. It's just incredible at how you deeply you can sink into this world that Derting created.

Max had to be my fave character! He was your typical bad/good/mysterious boy! All good things rolled into one. He has many secrets of his own that he keeps from Charlie, yet can helped but feel drawn to the girl he barely knows. And predictably, there is something growing between the two.

The way the story was told was also great! It changes perspectives from Charlie to Max and the Queen, while Charlie is the only one in first person so as to not be totally confusing! But I loved knowing what Max and the even the queen were thinking. It really lets you get into the story and know more about what the heck is going on.

Overall a really fabulous read that blew me away! With quite the ending too. It leaves enough that you can feel satisfied with the story, but there is just enough loose threads that leave room for more story development! I so can't wait to find out what happens to Charlie next!

Overall rating 4/5 stars

The Pledge releases November 15, 2011