Pity Isn't an Option

Cozenage #1

by Jessica L. Brooks

Seventeen year-old Jonas Norton is trying to come to terms with what his blood disorder has robbed from him, including his two most favorite things: basketball, and competing in Hatchet Racket, Wanless’ annual hatchet-throwing contest. The facts that his father works constantly to pay for his blood tests and Jonas can actually see the disappointment in his eyes for being such a failure only make matters worse. And even worse than all of that? Jonas' own twin brother, Micah, is perfectly healthy and becoming quite the basketball player. Also, Hattie, the girl Jonas has loved for forever? She has no idea how he feels.

Sixteen year-old Hattie Akerman lives down the hill from Jonas. Though her father, Heath, tries to hide his lack of mental clarity behind the bottle and she's pretty much given up on having any kind of relationship with him, she would still rather her younger sister, Lucy, not have to deal with the consequences of his behavior. Hattie helps her mother by baking food to sell at Market and looking out for Lucy. No matter what the rest of the town says about her crazy father, Jonas sticks up for them. He is, by far, her very best friend.

As if things aren’t complicated enough already, Heath and Micah are unexpectedly drafted into President Kendrick's army (an army from which no one ever returns) just days before Thanksgiving. When Heath disappears instead of arriving at the Meeting Place to check in, Hattie and Jonas decide they’ve had enough, and take matters into their own hands. And though nothing could have prepared them for what happens next, Hattie and Jonas learn that hope can be seen in every situation. You just have to know where to look.

Genres: Dystopia, Young Adult

315 pages, Paperback

First published February 5, 2013

About the author

Jessica L. Brooks is a lover of books, coffee, and all things owl-dorable. She writes young adult books about near-future dystopia (Pity Isn't An Option, Cozenage #1, available now) and magical realism (the Flora series). Connect with her on her blog, Let Me Tell You A Story, Tumblr, or anywhere else on the interwebs by doing a search for her username: coffeelvnmom.

Reviews

[K.L. Lantz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking, beautiful writing, incredible ending.

I am just... moved. Touched. Changed. There's something different about Jessica Brooks' debut novel, Pity Isn't An Option. It's more contemplative than I'm used to, and the writing is just gorgeous. It doesn't gimmick or formulate. It just goes. It just journeys. That's how I feel, like I just went on a journey that changed me.

Have you ever been on an adventure like that in real life? When I was a kid I went on a hike with my family and some friends. It was horrible and wonderful. Our friends got motion sick in the car on the way there. We hiked too slowly. The sun blazed overhead. We ran out of water at the halfway point and still had a long way to get back to the cars. The mother of the other family collapsed with heat exhaustion. We prayed. We walked along a dry riverbed looking for water. And we prayed. And we sucked on Juniper berries. Did I mention we prayed? When we discovered water, we went crazy, jumping all over in it, soaking our hot skin and our clothes, drinking it where it ran down the rocks. Best day of my childhood. I don't even remember the hike back. Just that incredible moment when our prayers were answered and we could fill out canteens for our friends waiting up the trail. One day, one simple adventure. Life defining.

That's how it feels to read PITY ISN'T AN OPTION.

It's the first of a series. The author classifies it as YA contemporary with dystopian elements. I'd classify it as near-future YA dystopian. It's a five-years-down-the-road-if-the-economy-keeps-going-downhill-and-our-political-system-gets-even-more-corrupt kind of thing. President Kendrick refuses to relinquish the presidency, and he's forcibly conscripting a civilian army for some unknown purpose. All the citizens know is that when their fathers and sons are taken, they are never heard from again. The Union holds meetings and talks about fighting back, but everyone is scared and nothing ever really happens. Hattie and Jonas experience a day-to-day tension that finally reaches a boiling point and forces them to action. The pace of this novel is slow suspense in the beginning and gets super intense at about the 60% mark. By that point, I felt a bond with the characters that wouldn't let me go. Wanless, their town, just feels all too real. (It doesn't help that I just read the part in Gone with the Wind when the land around Tara is desolated.)

The theme of the book (from my perspective) is Luke 12:27 "Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."

Dark, yet marbled through with streaks of hope, PITY ISN'T AN OPTION reminds us we're not in control of anything except our own choices. And Jonas and Hattie do not disappoint on that score.

[Eugenia (Genie In A Book) · Rating 4 out of 5]

*This review also appears on the blog Chasm of Books*

4.5 stars

My reaction after finishing:



Pity isn't an option when you're trying to survive

In her YA debut, Jessica Brooks has written a novel in a realistic dystopian setting that captivates and explores how people live on when faced with difficult situations.

I deserve to be treated like a human. I'm still a person who wants to do things and has dreams and potential and believes that carrying out what you want to do in life can be possible.
That is it.

Jonas is a boy with a rare blood disease that is struggling to be normal and doesn't want to be seen for the condition that he has but for what he is. Hattie is a girl who is coping with a life filled with a bleak future, looking out for her younger sister Lucy and trying to make things work at home. The two have been friends for as long as they could remember - but a)will it develop into something more? and b)how will their bond cope when faced with a challenge neither of them expected?

Sometimes it's not what you see that is important. It's what you feel

I loved how the author incorporated such meaningful quotes throughout the novel that gave the characters depth and the capacity to resonate with the audience. The fact that the book was written with alternating points of view from both Jonas' and Hattie's also made it interesting to see their different perspectives on how they felt about each other and the fact that their lives were getting much more unstable. Although there wasn't a great deal of world-building and what was given was quite vague, the character development certainly made up for this slight flaw. This novel had something that some dystopian novels lack: FEELING - and that counts for a lot in my eyes. The ending was a cliffhanger for sure and makes you realize the lengths some people will go to in order for them to protect those they care for.

*CONCLUSION*
In all, this was a pretty impressive novel that I would definitely recommend to readers who have a taste for dystopian-esque plots that have depth and character. I am definitely hoping for the sequel to this one - as Jessica Brooks has definitely left us hanging!

[Madisyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Check out the full review on my blog: http://fictionalboysarejustbetter.blo...

Okay, guys. I started this on New Year's Day with less than 2 hours of sleep. That was a bad, bad idea. I still don't know what happened in the first 6% of the book which may actually explain a lot of my confusion for the first half. I probably missed important points under that hallucination of a day. It gives me a headache just thinking about it...



But anyway, that is not a good way to start off a book. I was such of a confused mess for about a month that couldn't get into it. It frustrated the crap out of me. But after reading what it was about a few times on Goodreads, I finally got into it.



Not too much happens in the beginning, but I loved Jonas. He reminded me so much of myself that it wasn't even funny. I just wanted to hug him. I feel like he's on the list of my fictional brothers.



Also the whole beginning involved me almost murdering Micah because he was being a little jerk. I now know/understand his feelings (because of the ending), but I still kinda want to hurt him.



Also, random side note. I have a very love/hate relationship with book that switch POVs. I just kept thinking Jonas was Hattie and Hattie was Jonas and it was a mess. That could have been part of the reason it took me so long to get into it. I'd just read thinking Jonas was talking, but then Jonas would be addressed by name, and I'd realize oh wait! and I'd have to reread the chapter...just like Allegiant! Pay attention, guys. It'll help. I promise.



Yes, but then things happened! Drafts and fights and arguing and disappearances! It was exciting!



And then they went on a journey! Although I'm not gonna tell ya what they were looking for...but Hattie and Jonas bonded. I-I ship them so hard. And they're both idiots who don't realize how much they secretly love each other AND I JUST WANT THEM TO BE A THING.



But guys, the end. I got really really worried. And not because I was in a car in the middle of a blizzard an hour from home with my sister and brother-in-law. It did make the situation more worrisome though. But ice...will be the downfall to everything. (Titanic, my wrist, the car trip, this book, you get the point)



And the end end. Ummm...I love Jonas, but I debated strangling him. I know it's all meaningful and heartfelt and he's helping, but NO. MADI DOES NOT APPROVE. I love him, and I ship Jattie? (is that a thing? Idk), and I don't want my ship to die because of a certain person.



Oh! I forgot about Jonas and his dad's sweet little moment. I loved it. I cried. It like inspired me and hit me so hard in the heart. Like Jonas and I are so similar and that made me feel so good. And no one will ever understand my love for dad/grandpa moments in movies/books. They kill me.



But even though it took forever for me to get into this lovely book, the ending just killed me. Y'all should go read it and Jessica's other books. They are absolutely amazing! (As is she!)



I hope all of you have a fabulous day! It was a pleasurable day that's so cold that we didn't have school, so I wrote ya two book reviews! I love ya, guys! Thanks for reading!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well written distopian book, with lots of character depth and showing how the government is making life change.

You are following Jonas and his family coping with his health issue as well as seeing his best friend dealing with her family issues.
I don't want to accidentally spoil anything but the Intrigue and twists left me wanting more!!!

[Kate Tilton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have very mixed feeling about Pity Isn't an Option. I liked the premise of the story and the main characters Jonas and Hattie. But overall the story moved too slowly for my pace.

The full review can be found at http://katetilton.com/january-2015-k8...

[Stacey Kym · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC kindly provided by Jessica L. Brooks in exchange for an honest review.

Review

‘Pity Isn’t an Option’ was a well-thought-out, dystopian novel that follows two teens, Jonas Norton and Hattie Akerman, as they try to survive and navigate a world where only the strong survive, life takes and doesn’t give back…where pity really isn’t an option. It was bitter-sweet, a real tear-jerker and a novel that made me think. It is my first novel by Jessica L. Brooks, but it was one that I DID NOT regret.
The first thing that struck me about this novel, was its lovely prose and excellent grammar. It’s always a letdown when you open an indie novel or an arc, and the writing is just horrible. Jessica L. Brooks is able to convey the emotions, atmosphere and surrounding that Jonas and Hattie experience. She doesn’t just tell, she shows and she weaves the story to paint a realistic world in a time where America’s leader is cruel, harsh and unforgiving.
Yet another thing that struck me when I opened the novel was that it had a slow beginning. It would go on and on and on about the lives of Jonas and Hattie, recounting all their personal thoughts, letdowns, motivations, but nothing really happened. This made the novel hard to pick up again because it would just tell us about the sad story of some two (albeit very realistic) characters with problems who live in a dystopian world…same old, same old…and I really didn’t understand why. If only the writer started off with a BANG, then the beginning of the novel would have been a lot better. Instead it often lulled me to sleep. This was a major comeback, too, as it lasted until half-way through the book when I was ready to write it off, speed read though the rest and name it a three star.
On the other hand, ‘Pity Isn’t an Option’ was ripe with suspense and anticipation and a lingering mystery as to who this enigmatic President Kendrick figure was in the book. It made you question everything because the reader knows nothing about him. At times I often wondered whether he really was evil or maybe just a puppet who had his strings pulled by someone more powerful than him. It frustrated me that he remained an unknown but was the cause of all the troubles.
The novel also gave an excellent portrayal of hard times in a dystopian world. It painted the perfect setting for just the right conditions to make this novel awesome. It was ripe with emotional outbursts that were the main reason I kept reading. You could literally step into the world and breathe the air of Hattie and Jason.
What really made me connect was the first person narration as it allowed me a deeper insight into the book. It really allowed me to connect with our two main protagonists and experience feelings and emotions as they did. Third person would have worked, too, but not nearly as well I believe even though I often did get confused when changing between Jason and Hattie.
I SERIOUSLY LOVED THE ENDING; IT WAS JUST THE RIGHT ENDING FOR THIS BOOK – I couldn’t imagine a better one. I REALLY can’t wait for the sequel. I was unsatisfied and upset with the ending as I wanted more to happen and I felt it left me hanging with all these unsatisfied expectations. ARGH!
‘Pity Isn’t an Option’ had a quite intensity and power to it that made me adore it. This is the main reason for MY FIVE STAR. In the end, I didn’t dislike one bit about the book as all its flaws were made up for.
Congratulations to Jessica L. Brooks on publishing a five star novel! Whoo!

Rating Plan
1 star : Strongly did not like the book, writing and plot was bad. Idea of the book was against my liking.
2 star : Didn't like it, didn't find it interesting or gripping. Seemed to drag on to me.
3 star : An average book. Wasn't bad or good. Everything else was well done. Original idea.
4 star : Like a 3 star but has potential to it as a series or the book grew on me as it progressed and certain scenes captured me. I Enjoyed it and read it in one sitting.
5 star : I LOVED IT! I stayed up late until 3 am. Author is a genius, characters, plot, idea, development, EVERYTHING was EXCELLENT. Nothing else can possibly be said except that its 5 STAR!

[Joana Vieira · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review can also be found at Joana In The Sky With BooksOne of the things I liked the most about this book were the main characters! They were beautifully written, they sounded real and were very likeable! The secondary characters were also very unique and they all had distinguishable traits and interesting back stories.I also think that the world was very believable and so was the way people reacted to the government.In my opinion the story moves really slow and only in the last quarter of the book something really exciting happens! The rest of the book shows more the daily life of the people and their struggles (especially the main characters) so when Heath disappears after he was drafted, Jonas and Hattie come up with a plan that was quite entertaining and I found myself rooting for them to be successful! The ending isn't very happy but even though it is a bit of an open ending it leaves you with a sense of closure. I would still love to read a sequel and perhaps get to know the characters even more.All in all, I think this is a great contribution to the dystopian genre. The world and the characters are very well thought out but the pace can be extremely slow in the beginning.

[Harry Brake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Usually a title, or just a "feel" of a book gives you the idea of where a book will take you. I had no idea when I received this book from the YA Scavenger Hunt last year and only had stumbled across it now.

There is so much in the book that is about life, how to wade yourself through, and how pity - well it falls by the wayside if you allow it. Also, how the element of pity actually holds you back in life - and truly only you yourself can move yourself ahead. I LOVE how powerful this book is in so many ways and did not see it coming. Kind of like life! The richness of Jonas and Hattie and how they alternate their dialogue - reminds me of The Joy Luck Club, but this has much mor epersonal intensity.

It's funny, usually you get an idea of the "look" of a character, and you get some with descriptions of freckles, etc, but I always found myself always a little in the dark on knowing how each character looked and found myself refocused on their merit and strength in their personality more. This made for a great novel from beginning to finish.

Certainly now eager to go onto book #2 - and a whole door opens on great reading!

[Monica Fastenau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read the full review here: http://newberyandbeyond.com/arcs-if-i...

This book I really enjoyed! Dystopian YA is my cup of tea, and I found the alternating sections between Jonas and Hattie to be wonderful. They were both well-rounded characters, and I felt sympathy toward both of them. Jonas is struggling to keep healthy while his parents work overtime to try to pay for his blood disease care. Hattie’s father is starting to lose his mind, and her mother is left to care for her two children on her own. Both characters work well together, and their families, though not perfect, are also interesting to read about.

My one regret from this book is that there wasn’t more description of the dystopian world in which they live. I think this is the first of a series, however, so there may be more in the books to come! I’m looking forward to reading the next book in this series. (And I wouldn’t mind if this audio book narrator continued narrating the series.)

Note: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jessica L. Brooks was able to put me into another world, this slightly sad story was so good, and very moving. Pity isn’t an Option has to be one of my favorite books of all time! This book was slow at first giving the reader the ability to absorb all of the information that is given to set the environment of the book. The plot picks up in the middle of the book, and continues at a steady and fast pace. This story was wonderful in every way! The characters are developed, very complex, and they continue to grow as the story lets on. The plot moves very smoothly, and isn’t confusing. Brooks takes me into a mindscape, and throws me back into the “real world” wanting to know more and hoping for a pleasing ending!

[Edye · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went into reading this book thinking it would be super fast paced and action packed. Unfortunately, for me it was pretty slow. I found that the first 2/3 of the book dragged on and on. But, once it picked up towards the end it didn't stop. I love the world the author created and would be inclined to read more of the series. This book was not a standout read for me. Although, I liked all the characters and actually cared what happened to them. So overall, I give this book a solid 3 star rating. If you're into dystopian novels (like me), I suggest you check it out and see what you think of it.

*I received this book in exchange for an honest review*

[Anna Buller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! The story is like one I've never read and once I started it I was sucked in. First of all, the writing was gorgeous! And I really liked the characters and getting to live in their thoughts and understand them. And while reading it, it kind of opened my eyes and reminded me of all the little things that we take for granted in day-to-day life. I love that this book was contemporary with a little bit of a dystopian feel (two of my many favorite genres) so, if you're anything like me you will definitely like this book!

[Hollyberry]

Unfortunately a did not finish for me, I will try again another time.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book! Oh my gosh it was amazing!! The ending!! Wow seriously no words!! Jessica Brooks did an amazing job!!