Review From User :
5 Words: Crime, punishment, family, revenge, justice.
I think this book is like marmite. You either love it or hate it.
I hate marmite.
I loved this book.
On finishing this book I was lost for words, speechless. All I could think to say consisted of a string of inappropriate and incoherent expletives. My mind was blank. All I could think about was the next book, when it would come, what would happen.
I thought that the main character, Celestine, was an intriguing mix of strong and weak, brave and cowardly, independent and easily led. It meant that I was never quite sure what she would do next, who she would listen to. Although not really a main character, I really liked Pia. I loved her motives, how human she was, how she wasn't afraid to admit that she was selfish.
There is one scene, about 1/3 through the book, that had me quite literally shaking in fear, anger and repulsion. I have never ever experienced that from a book before. I was horrified by the Guild, by society itself, and by Crevan. I couldn't believe what was happening. I was actually astonished by the brutality of it all. But I couldn't stop reading. I read on, agape, barely believing what I was reading. It was such powerful stuff.
This was a book that I had to force myself to put down, to step away, to take a breath. It hit me so hard, it was devastating in the best of ways. I was so good that I had to put it down.
I received a copy of this for free via NetGalley for review purposes.
You will be punished…
Celestine North lives a perfect life. She’s a model daughter and sister, she’s well-liked by her classmates and teachers, and she’s dating the impossibly charming Art Crevan.
But then Celestine encounters a situation where she makes an instinctive decision. She breaks a rule and now faces life-changing repercussions. She could be imprisoned. She could be branded. She could be found flawed.
In her breathtaking young adult debut, bestselling author Cecelia Ahern depicts a society where perfection is paramount and flaws lead to punishment. And where one young woman decides to take a stand that could cost her everything.
