The August 5

Gr 7 Up—This morsel for the hungry dystopian fan fails to satisfy. Helland's debut novel examines a crumbling castelike society as teens on either side of the privilege line are thrust into social turmoil. However, once the rare glimpses of action or reaction regarding the collapse of the "Zunft"-dominated society are washed away, readers are left to wade through clunky descriptions of politics, both in exposition and poorly presented fictional journalism. This work lacks the opportunities for emotional investment or self-identification that have made so many others in this genre successful. The characters are caricatures. Bern, the twin of protagonist Tommy, functions only as a foil for his more progressive brother through constant espousal of one-dimensional prejudices. Tamsin, the daughter of a "revolutionary" from the rebelling Cottager class, demonstrates little emotional complexity beyond a shallow faith in her father's views. When these two opposites finally meet, no spark, drama, or clash overcomes the ponderous anticipatory exposition. While the author covers a wide range of complex political concepts and the book is marketed as a YA novel, the overall tone seems middle grade throughout, which will confuse readers with its consequentially juvenile treatment of momentous revolutionary politics. There is so much implied action that readers do not see—the oppression of the Cottagers, the widespread subjugation of largely undeveloped female characters—that by the end of the novel, effective world-building has failed.