My review of The Declaration

The Declaration (The Declaration #1) by Gemma Malley
Release Date: November 8, 2012 (New edition)
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Anna Covey is a ‘Surplus’. She should not have been born. In a society in which ageing is no longer feared, and death is no longer an inevitability, children are an abomination.

Like all Surpluses, Anna is living in a Surplus Hall and learning how to make amends for the selfish act her parents committed in having her. She is quietly accepting of her fate until, one day, a new inmate arrives. Anna’s life is thrown into chaos. But is she brave enough to believe this mysterious boy?

A tense and utterly compelling story about a society behind a wall, and the way in which two young people seize the chance to break free.

The Declaration is the first book in the startlingly gripping dystopian trilogy. I was hooked from the beginning and I can't believe I hadn't read this sooner! Make sure you read this trilogy if you want to experience a unique dystopia world that is easy to fall into but hard to escape from.

The novel is set in the future in the UK where a drug called 'Longevity' has been created to stop ageing. Since everyone is not ageing, the society can not handle a population growth, which means all of the Surpluses, illegal children born, have to be sent to a Surplus Hall, where they learn to be useful to a world that they shouldn't have been born into. Anna has been living in Surplus Hall since she was young, believing that she was put in there for the selfish act her parent commented in having her. But when a new boy arrives and claims to know her parents and the world outside, she doesn't know whether to believe him or stay away.

The Declaration was an exciting read that I didn't want to put down. The premise was extremely interesting and unique. My dystopian loving friends, this book is very well written with surprises and a cute romance to go with it, and everything you could want in an awesome book. Who wouldn't want to read about two teenagers trying to escape and find the truth in a world full of lies and ruled by a pill that will make you live forever?

At first, I had a hard time trying to connect with the main character, Anna, who wouldn't open her eyes, or mind, to anything that Peter, the new boy at Surplus hall, was trying to tell her. I did feel frustrated at times with her indecisive personality and I really wanted to hit her head with a stick and knock some sense into her. As for Peter, I fell in love with his shy and boyish charm from the beginning! He is lovely character that I would love to meet in real life.  

There were plenty of mysteries to solve and characters to learn about. I could not put the book down once I really got into it. The Declaration ended brilliantly, and I can tell that the sequel, The Resistance, is going to be even better! A series full of action, mystery and romance, how could you possibly resist?

Rating

A review copy was provided by the publisher