Quickie Review: The Essence by Kimberly Derting

Book: The Essence (Pledge #2)
By: Kimberly Derting
Published: January 1, 2013
Published by: Margaret K. McElderry books

Description: “Danger, dread, mystery, and romance” (Booklist) continue in the second book of The Pledge trilogy, as Charlie’s reign is under siege from the most unusual of enemies.At the luminous conclusion of The Pledge, Charlaina defeated the tyrant Sabara and took her place as Queen of Ludania. But Charlie knows that Sabara has not disappeared: The evil queen’s Essence is fused to Charlie’s psyche, ready to arise at the first sign of weakness.

Charlie is not weak, but she’s being pushed to the brink. In addition to suppressing the ever-present influence of Sabara, she’s busy being queen—and battling a growing resistance determined to return Ludania to its discriminatory caste system. Charlie wants to be the same girl Max loves, who Brook trusts, but she’s Your Majesty now, and she feels torn in two.

As Charlie journeys to an annual summit to meet with leaders of nearby Queendoms—an event where her ability to understand all languages will be the utmost asset—she is faced with the ultimate betrayal. And the only person she can turn to for help is the evil soul residing within.

My Thoughts: This will be a quick review because I just dont have that much to say about this book. I had high hopes for The Essence after reading the Pledge, but it didnt quite live up to my idea. As you can read from the description, Charlie is having trouble controlling Sabara who still remains in her body, and having trouble taking her place as queen. This book is all about those struggles, and it was pretty much boring throughout. It took me forever to read because I just wasnt invested. There were some big things that happened, and every so often, I got a bit interested, but I really just held on hoping for an amazing end, such as was the case with The Pledge. Also, Charlie kind of bothered me in this book and I can't explain why. Perhaps it was her sneakiness and her problems with sharing her issues with those around her. Whatever it was kind of turned me off with this book. This book pretty much disappointed me, despite having a few high points. I give it 2 stars.

Review: The Pledge by Kimberly Derting

Book: The Pledge (The Pledge #1)
By: Kimberly Derting
Published: November 15, 2011
Published By: Margaret K. McElderry

Description: 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.

My Thoughts: The Pledge was an interesting book that really made me think.The Pledge is an interesting Dystopian novel in that the dividing factor between the classes in society is Language. There are different languages based upon your class, and as such, if one hears a language their class does not speak, he/she is forced to look down in a sign of inferiority. The theory behind it is that if everyone doesn't speak the same language, there is no way for them to ban together and try to revolt. Unfortunately though, there is a common language, since everyone has to be able to understand something to interact in marketplaces, or if there is an announcement for everyone to understand. This common language though is all the resistance needs to get their foot in the door.

We follow Charlaina (Charlie) a 17 year old girl who has a secret she must die to protect. She has the power of speech. She can understand every single language, even if she has never heard it before. If anyone learns of this power. she will be killed. Her younger sister, although unable to speak at all, has the ability to heal with the touch of her hand. Their parents attempt to hide them from the view of the powerful queen, the only other person in society who has powers. Soon, we find that Charlie and her sister's powers stem from something buried deep inside them, and that secret is the one and only thing that can save the entire society.

I enjoyed reading this book. Charlie is realistic and like-able, as is her sister and though I wish she would have had a bit more backbone, the brutal society they live in explains her actions and she is quite strong considering the way she had to grow up. Max, the love interest, is quite interesting, though I didn't like the insta-love that seemed to flare between he and Charlie.

There wasn't much I didn't like about this book, though there were a few things I didn't quite understand or didn't quite make sense to me. I am definitely going to read the next book in the series, The Essence (I just picked it up  from the library yesterday). This was an interesting series that I would recommend to lovers of dystopian Novels. I give it 3.5 stars.