In the violent country of Ludania,
the classes are strictly divided by the language they speak. The smallest
transgression, like looking a member of a higher class in the eye while they
are speaking their native tongue, results in immediate execution.
Seventeen-year-old Charlaina has always been able to understand the languages
of all classes, and she's spent her life trying to hide her secret. The only
place she can really be free is the drug-fueled underground clubs where people
go to shake off the oppressive rules of the world they live in. It's there that
she meets a beautiful and mysterious boy named Max who speaks a language she's
never heard before . . . and her secret is almost exposed.
Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime
Charlie is intensely attracted to Max, even though she can't be sure where his real loyalties lie. As the emergency drills give way to real crisis and the violence escalates, it becomes clear that Charlie is the key to something much bigger: her country's only chance for freedom from the terrible power of a deadly regime
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So
I honestly did not intend to enjoy this book as much as I did. Don't get me
wrong, I didn't think it was going to be terrible; I thought the plot sounded
truly fascinating and something very unique, but it wasn't something I was
necessarily dying to get my hands on. But now after reading this novel I have
to say that it was DEFINITELY a book I should have been dying to get my hands
on.
The Pledge was rich, and full of depth. Its pages were full of lies and neverending secrets that only made the story more intriguing. The story is about a girl names Charlaine, or as everyone else calls her, Charlie. She has a deadly secret that only her family knows about, and it turns out that not even she knows everything about it. In Charlie's society, you cannot understand or speak any language of someone in a class above you. When someone from a higher class speaks, those below that person are not allowed to meet that person's eyes or acknowlegde them in anyway. To do so would equal a crime punishable by death: they get hung. So you can only imagine how difficult it must be for Charlie to hide her secret: she is able to understand any language of any class. I thought Charlie could be easily identified with. She's a serious and sincere girl, and very special. I can only imagine what it would be like to hide a huge, essential part of yourself from all those you love. Charlie wants to confide in her best friends, Aron and Brooklyn, but knows she cannot because it would endanger them all. She's alwso very protective of her younger sister who has not yet found her voice, which is a little strange. The Queen is mercilless, and horrible. She's old and dying and needs to find a suitable female heir immediately. I found it sort of interesting how in this novel, boys born into the royal family are pretty much cast aside because girls were more valued. I just found it sort of ironic since in reality, it was usually quite the opposite. Max is, naturally, the dark and mysterious boy with a complicated history. He has a HUGE secret that he keeps from Charlie. It was nice how they didn't instantly fall in love with one another. Their love sort of grew as the story went on so it was more real. I admit it was a tad slow for me in the beginning, but the pace really picked up as I read further. Derting did a great job creating this slightly terrifying dystopian world and I'm glad I gave this book a chance. It definitely made me want to pick up the Body Finder series again. |
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