Review by amosler911 -- What are You Willing to Risk
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amosler911
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Review by amosler911 -- What are You Willing to Risk
[Following is a volunteer review of "What are You Willing to Risk" by P. L. Camery.]
What are you Willing to Risk by P.L. Camery, is a dystopian novel featuring a world known as Hassdrin. Hassdrin is a class based, rule oriented society run by a woman named the Guardian, who tries to ensure order and stability. She uses the military, which is under her command, to maintain order and keep each class in their respective “places”. Should someone step outside of these maintained levels - such as rising above their class “intellect” level by performing too well in school - these citizens are threatened with their lives.
Within this structured world also exists an underground rebel faction called Democris. The rebels want to overthrow the current style of government, and implement freedom for the citizens of Hassdrin. The novel’s two main characters are members of this rebel faction. The book follows the point of view and story of Lawrence: a high school aged student who helps to lead the rebellion, and newly joined rebel recruit: Mavis.
The book shows Lawrence and Mavis’s efforts to overthrow the Guardian and make the rebel mission of freedom successful. A large portion of the book is also devoted to the growth of Lawrence and Mavis’s relationship, as they fall in love and attempt to make the mission of Democris a reality.
Although I enjoyed aspects of the book, such as Lawrence’s quirky best friend: Cal, who provides witty humor and comic relief throughout, I felt the book as a whole was riddled with a variety of issues. Primarily, the character development of both Lawrence and Mavis was abrupt and changed too fast. Lawrence in particular is depicted as shy and reserved at the book’s start, but changes into a fierce and determined leader without any real reason for this character development. Much of the development is told rather than shown as the book progresses. The reason behind Lawrence’s determination and anger is seemingly predictable and thrown in partway through the book.
Moreover, the relationship between Lawrence and Mavis does not develop in a realistic way. Much like the characters and their development, the relationship is sudden and seems to become a concrete part of the plot without explanation. It felt forced and unnatural.
I also felt the plot was easy to predict and followed the format of most dystopian novels. I was hoping that Camery would provide an unexpected twist or change from where dystopian novels often lead. There was nothing special about this particular plot. Although the ending took a slightly different turn, thereby setting up a second book, this slight twist was not enough to make up for a severely lacking plot and undeveloped characters.
Finally, the book had many spelling and grammar errors. Although this did not necessarily detract from the novel, as they were not more frequent than every few pages, when combined with the issues in character development and plot, the novel became difficult to finish.
As a result, I cannot give the book more than one out of four stars. The novel was not advanced enough and had too many errors. However, if I were to recommend the book, I’d suggest it to readers who enjoy futuristic and dystopian novels. This book absolutely followed that format. Its ending also added a slightly new element to typical dystopian novels, and might therefore interest a reader who has a passion for dystopian fiction.
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What are You Willing to Risk
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
What are you Willing to Risk by P.L. Camery, is a dystopian novel featuring a world known as Hassdrin. Hassdrin is a class based, rule oriented society run by a woman named the Guardian, who tries to ensure order and stability. She uses the military, which is under her command, to maintain order and keep each class in their respective “places”. Should someone step outside of these maintained levels - such as rising above their class “intellect” level by performing too well in school - these citizens are threatened with their lives.
Within this structured world also exists an underground rebel faction called Democris. The rebels want to overthrow the current style of government, and implement freedom for the citizens of Hassdrin. The novel’s two main characters are members of this rebel faction. The book follows the point of view and story of Lawrence: a high school aged student who helps to lead the rebellion, and newly joined rebel recruit: Mavis.
The book shows Lawrence and Mavis’s efforts to overthrow the Guardian and make the rebel mission of freedom successful. A large portion of the book is also devoted to the growth of Lawrence and Mavis’s relationship, as they fall in love and attempt to make the mission of Democris a reality.
Although I enjoyed aspects of the book, such as Lawrence’s quirky best friend: Cal, who provides witty humor and comic relief throughout, I felt the book as a whole was riddled with a variety of issues. Primarily, the character development of both Lawrence and Mavis was abrupt and changed too fast. Lawrence in particular is depicted as shy and reserved at the book’s start, but changes into a fierce and determined leader without any real reason for this character development. Much of the development is told rather than shown as the book progresses. The reason behind Lawrence’s determination and anger is seemingly predictable and thrown in partway through the book.
Moreover, the relationship between Lawrence and Mavis does not develop in a realistic way. Much like the characters and their development, the relationship is sudden and seems to become a concrete part of the plot without explanation. It felt forced and unnatural.
I also felt the plot was easy to predict and followed the format of most dystopian novels. I was hoping that Camery would provide an unexpected twist or change from where dystopian novels often lead. There was nothing special about this particular plot. Although the ending took a slightly different turn, thereby setting up a second book, this slight twist was not enough to make up for a severely lacking plot and undeveloped characters.
Finally, the book had many spelling and grammar errors. Although this did not necessarily detract from the novel, as they were not more frequent than every few pages, when combined with the issues in character development and plot, the novel became difficult to finish.
As a result, I cannot give the book more than one out of four stars. The novel was not advanced enough and had too many errors. However, if I were to recommend the book, I’d suggest it to readers who enjoy futuristic and dystopian novels. This book absolutely followed that format. Its ending also added a slightly new element to typical dystopian novels, and might therefore interest a reader who has a passion for dystopian fiction.
******
What are You Willing to Risk
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Stranded In The Wild by Gary Rodriguez
