When She Woke

"This book is a timely and gripping novel that initially filled me with cold dread. I always have trouble with dystopian novels, because I find them hard to believe and difficult to put myself in the place of the characters. But honestly, the initial premise of this story struck me as more realistic than any other dystopian novel I have read. The world that Jordan creates seems eerily realistic and plausible. Honestly, growing up in an evangelical conservative church, many of the arguments and characters were horrifyingly familiar to me. I have read and am fans of both [b:The Scarlet Letter|12296|The Scarlet Letter|Nathaniel Hawthorne|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1327879100s/12296.jpg|4925227] and [b:The Handmaid's Tale|38447|The Handmaid's Tale|Margaret Atwood|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1294702760s/38447.jpg|1119185] and definitely see the nods to these two great novels, but feel like this is a quite honest critique of many aspects of modern American society and a current and important addition. <br/><br/>However, this book does not get five stars, because it does have some major flaws. Occasionally the author throws in obscure vocabulary words for no good reason. I don't know if she is trying to sound smarter than she is, or what, but it was annoying to have to look up words in the dictionary and didn't match the rest of her writing style. Also, the book REALLY loses steam and focus at the end and becomes increasingly implausible. There is a lesbian sex scene that is so laughable, out of character, and juvenile, that I couldn't decide whether to laugh or be insulted. Because the one lesbian character in the novel MUST be sexually attracted to our main character! Also, towards the end, the focus changes from philosophical debate to more like a cheap unrealistic thriller. Some major characters are put in dangerous situations and it is as if suddenly the main character does not care about them anymore. It is bizarre. It is almost as if the author was on a deadline and just wanted to wrap up the book, without giving it much thought. Our heroine scrapes by and everything is great and she's changed, all in a very adolescent and I believe, unrealistic, fashion. How sad for a book that started off so grand, ending so poorly? If the author had kept it up, I don't doubt this could have become an American classic.<br/><br/>That being said, I still highly recommend that everyone read this book, if just to have a discussion about the disintegration of women's rights in this country and what the implications are for our future girls."

"OMG! I was really pulled into this story. Thought provoking and entertaining."

"It's thought provoking and edgy! In a world where they change the color of your skin depending on your crime and set you free to wonder and receive scrutiny from others. It was a very good read! "

"The first time I read it I could not put it down. It takes and old story, like the Scarlett Letter, and gives it a new twist."

"Yea, such an interesting story. "

"Thought provoking, fast read and never a dull moment. I even think this book would make a great movie.<br/><br/>Favorite quote in the book: "She wondered how many of them were liars, their outer purity masking crimes as dark or darker than her own. How many would be Chromes themselves, if the truth in their hearts were reveled?""