After Reading: THE REGISTRY by Shannon Stoker

The Registry saved the country from collapse. But stability has come at a price. In this patriotic new America, girls are raised to be brides, sold at auction to the highest bidder. Boys are raised to be soldiers, trained by the state to fight to their death.

Nearly eighteen, beautiful Mia Morrissey excitedly awaits the beginning of her auction year. But a warning from her married older sister raises dangerous thoughts. Now, instead of going up on the block, Mia is going to escape to Mexico—and the promise of freedom.
All Mia wants is to control her own destiny—a brave and daring choice that will transform her into an enemy of the state, pursued by powerful government agents, ruthless bounty hunters, and a cunning man determined to own her . . . a man who will stop at nothing to get her back. (Goodreads)

I really didn't know what to expect going into this book. I knew it sounded interesting, and I would probably enjoy it, but I wasn't expecting it to really bother me on such a deep level. I don't mean bother me in a bad way, either, just that it was incredibly difficult to read and stomach due to the way that women were treated by society. I know this is the reality for women in many parts of the world today, but dang did it rankle me. The story itself was decent, though I didn't really feel entirely connected with Mia, and sometimes I found myself wishing her emotions were shown more, rather that being stated. Alex seemed to have more of a base for his emotions and that made things much easier to understand when it came to figuring out his motivations, well, at least most of the time :) Anyhow, I won the next book in the series and am looking forward to picking it up so that I can learn more about the crazy approximation of America that comes across in Stoker's world.