Renegade by Kerry Wilkinson: Review

Synopsis:

Silver Blackthorn is a fugitive from the law.
Silver Blackthorn has committed treason.
She is dangerous. Do NOT approach her.
A large reward is on offer. Report any sightings to your nearest Kingsman.
Long live the King.

Silver Blackthorn is on the run. She fled Windsor Castle with eleven other teenagers, taking with her something far more valuable than even she realises: knowledge.

With the entire country searching for the missing Offerings, Silver must keep them all from the vicious clutches of King Victor and the Minister Prime. Until now, no one has escaped the king and lived to tell the tale.

Or have they?

With expectations weighing heavily on the girl with the silver streak in her hair, will she ever find her way home?

***

Silver and her gang is on the run in Renegade. Evading the Kingsman, she's set on getting her revenge for her suffering in the Windsor castle. Now that she is the most wanted person in the whole country, her family is in danger as well. She has to find that one person that may hold to key to the origin of the Reckoning, and the solution. What she might face is betrayal and separation.

I remember liking Reckoning. Renegade is also not bad. I have been able to enjoy it for some time. But I'm afraid I have to say that this series is one of those that just can't hold my attention for long. It's a good thing that this book is not long, because the first bit is pretty boring to me. I mean, seriously. Rebel groups that are too good to be true? Again? I have spent enough time to read these kind of novels to say that I'm getting tired of this. However, this is just a small part of this book. The bigger part is much better, and with much more risks, which does more than balancing out the not-so-good things. 

Silver is not who I remember. Not exactly. I mean, she's still very smart and determined. And she's also a good leader. But some part of her has hardened, and not in the way I like. Like Imrin said, she's getting a little bit manipulative. She recognizes the problem and tries to correct it, which is a good thing and I admire her for her candor. But that streak of hers is getting on my nerves for some reason. She also spends a lot of time being indecisive about Opie and Imrin. Maybe not a lot of time, but definitely more than she should. It's annoying, but not because this is weak of her or what not. Rather, this is more a waste of time when she can spend more time thinking about her next move.

The whole thing is pretty straightforward, and with a clear goal, I think I will still be reading the last book.

Rating: 6.5/10

Reckoning: Review

Synopsis:

One girl. One chance. One destiny.

In the village of Martindale, hundreds of miles north of the new English capital of Windsor, sixteen-year-old Silver Blackthorne takes the Reckoning. This coming-of- age test not only decides her place in society – Elite, Member, Inter or Trog – but also determines that Silver is to become an Offering for King Victor.But these are uncertain times and no one really knows what happens to the teenagers who disappear into Windsor Castle. Is being an Offering the privilege everyone assumes it to be, or do the walls of the castle have something to hide?Trapped in a maze of ancient corridors, Silver finds herself in a warped world of suspicion where it is difficult to know who to trust and who to fear. The one thing Silver does know is that she must find a way out . . . The heart-stopping first book in a new trilogy by UK author Kerry Wilkinson, Reckoning is the story of one girl's determination to escape the whims of a cruel king, and what she must do to survive against all odds.

***

I will divide this review into two parts. The part about the theme and the part about the plot (and maybe some characters).

Theme:

The theme is generally very relate-able for book fans (especially dystopian fans). The four places (or castes, in the words of The Selection), signals a really big problem in people's lives in the book, which can be really phenomenal. It's also not hard to imagine this system as in a way, our current society has something like that (only it's not as obvious as in the book). However, as much as it's relate-able, it's not a new thing in books, and it's kind of boring me out. Maybe only a little, so I really wish the plot will surprise me.

The plot (and the characters):

However, the plot really does not impress me. It's full of holes. Like the fact that the king wants them to work against each other. But why? No explanation. Why are there so few guards (or Kingsmen, whatever they call themselves) in the freaking palace? No explanation either. It seems like a lot of things that raises people's curiosity don't have a definitive answer. It's very predictable also. I know what's going to happen in the end of the book without even going half through the book. I know HOW they're going to achieve what is going to happen in the end of the book without even going half through it. Seriously? Real too obvious.

The characters are problematic as well. They're really stiff and weak characters. Not much of their individual strength, besides their tendency to work together as a team. It's kind of like nothing exists beyond this one (and maybe only) good side of them. Even Silver. Silver is supposed to be a clever and strong character. But the plot doesn't really show any of her brilliancy and cleverness. And the bad guys are just that. Bad, bad, bad. Simple characters. Definitely not complex. It's just a simple tug of war between good and bad. Nothing is beyond that. No, definitely not impressed.

I hope the plot and the characters will improve in the next book because this series really has potential with so many potential threats in the background.

Rating: 5.5/10