Atlantia

I interrupt regularly scheduled programming for this: Happy Book Birthday! A special review for a recent release. (This post was meant to be published yesterday, but you get the point...)

Atlantia
Ally Condie

My rating: ★★★

ISBN: 978-0525426448
Publisher:
Date of publication: October 28, 2014
Age: Grades 7 and up
Genre: Dystopian, Science Fiction

Themes: Dystopic society, corrupted government, underwater, family, relationships

Rio has dreamed of real air, real dirt, and sky. Instead, with the unexpected desertion of her twin sister, Bay, and the death of her parents, she is stuck. She is trapped in the underwater city of Atlantia, originally built to save humanity from the pollution and dangers Above. All alone, she hides the secret of her siren voice, and searches for a way to escape to the sunshine. In the process, she uncovers other secrets about her mother's death, her sister's decision, and the corrupted system of the Divide.

The story is captivating, albeit not completely unique (it vaguely reminded me of City of Ember). How it's written... Well, Condie's writing style can be very methodical. So, on the one hand, you get a good picture of the setting and characters. But on the other, it can be slow and redundant. It took some time to really get going. As for the characters? I especially admired True, the romantic interest in the story. He was selfless and hiding some fascinating secrets. Rio, as a character, was rather depressing and did not seem to evolve enough. She comes off selfish and woe-is-me. Overall, I do like it. It's up to you if you want to read it.

Find it at your library or on Atlantia