Hey, all!
I just finished reading Truth, book 1 of the Geneva Project, by Christina Benjamin!
Christina was kind enough to contact me on my Instagram and ask me if I wanted to read her book! I want to apologize that I wasn't able to read it right away - my TBR for work and for books that I just wanted to catch up on was quite incredible!
"Trapped on a flood-ravaged island full of orphans, natives and wealthy citizens of the prosperous city Lux, a young girl named Geneva finds herself enslaved at an orphanage with no future and a past she can’t remember. That all changes when she meets someone who promises her that there’s more in store for her than she ever could have imagined. Her once dull life rapidly spirals out of control as she starts to acquire new magical powers that may be the key to unlocking an ancient legend along with her true identity. But first, she must master these powers, all while trying to keep them secret from her friends and the evil headmistress at the orphanage. Before she knows it, Geneva is in over her head and has inadvertently wrapped her friends into her web of magic and lies and now all of their lives hang in the balance once the headmistress finds out her plan to prove that the legend of Lux may not be a legend at all! Who will Geneva trust and how far will she go to save her friends and find out her true identity?"
Before reading this, you guys should be aware that this book is more of a middle-grade story than young adult. The main characters are quite young and the story is more 'fun' for younger readers. However, it was a middle-grade done well! There was a lot of good elements that makes this book a good introduction to reading for younger readers - magic, a dystopian setting, friends, enemies, and a whole lot of backstory and exposition.
Truth follows a young girl who only knows her 'number' rather than her name, in a setting where people secretly know their names, and the fact that magic is real. She soon discovers that she is one of these magic-wielders and that she can take magic powers from others. She is tied to the legend surrounding the island, and by the end wants to learn more about herself and her origins, in a society where children are mostly orphans helping re-build the city after destruction.
You guys know how much I love characters and their stories - it's really what I live for when I read. I feel like these characters should have been developed a little bit more - but then again I understand that this is difficult to do in a society where everyone is known by their age and number only. Hopefully, in the next book, the characters will flourish a bit more! I feel that that would give more depth to the book and make the emotions associated with the story magnified.
Although some parts were predictable, I found that the story overall was original and fun to read - the chapters were short (my fave!) and it was always interesting to see what kind of trouble the characters could get into.
Overall I'm giving this book a 3.5/5 feathers! Not so much my speed but I did appreciate the story and the originality behind. it! Cannot wait to read part two!
Stay bookish!
Huh, I haven't heard of this book before! I'm quite interested about the idea that she can take other people's magic. I'll have to check it out!
ReplyDeleteGreat review, Caroline :)