The Pledge (The Pledge, #1) in YA and Beyond

Mar 07, 2011 Nancy rated it liked it

This is a dystopia that begins with a queen transferring her soul into a female heir which caught my attention quickly. Interesting.

Years later we meet Charlie, the nondescript protagonist that has secret gifts like understanding all the languages which separates the classes. We also meet her sister, Angelina, who doesn't speak but has gifts of her own. We are quickly introduced to Aron and Brook, Charlie's best friends and Sydney, an enemy. Hurry, quick, here are Charlie's parents. 'Nuff said.

N ...more

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Jun 27, 2011 Melina rated it really liked it

Shelves: own, dystopian, favorite-covers, highly-anticipated, 4-stars

Originally Posted at The Pretty Nifty (YA) Reader: http://prettyniftyyareader.blogspot.c...

My Thoughts

Cover Love: There is something beautifully dark and twisted about this cover. A mystery that transcends into the story. The flourish around the "P" is so pretty! And the depressed "PLEDGE" in the background is perfect for Cover Strokers like me! All in all a 5 Star Cover!

Review:
The concept of language castes and a touch of fantasy all wrapped up in a dystopian world make for an unforgettable ...more

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Oct 19, 2011 Jessica (BlogEared Books) rated it really liked it

I love this cover. Every time I look at it, it reminds me of the movie "The Skulls". Do you remember that movie? A secret society in college that introduced me to the hotness I now know of as Paul Walker. It had that beautiful blonde Leslie Bibb in it- who looks very similar to the cover model of "The Pledge". This has nothing to do with the book itself, but I couldn't ignore the similarities and really hope someone else can identify with me.

Now, on to the Pledge. As you know, I don't like to do I love this cover. Every time I look at it, it reminds me of the movie "The Skulls". Do you remember that movie? A secret society in college that introduced me to the hotness I now know of as Paul Walker. It had that beautiful blonde Leslie Bibb in it- who looks very similar to the cover model of "The Pledge". This has nothing to do with the book itself, but I couldn't ignore the similarities and really hope someone else can identify with me.

Now, on to the Pledge. As you know, I don't like to do big recaps. You can read the book's back blurb or synopses on GoodReads and Amazon. I'd rather just tell you what I thought about the book. I really enjoyed it.

I went into the book with very high expectations. I had read about it months ago on Amazon, put it on my wish list, drooled over the cover and automatically envisioned the main characters as me and Paul Walker. I mean, Leslie Bibb and Paul Walker....

This book pulled me in- it is the first in a trilogy. But it is a satisfying first in a trilogy! That is important- especially if you read my earlier blog about trilogies and my Star Wars conspiracy theory. I hate cliffhangers with no resolution- this gave me an ending that left me happy, but wanting more. Think a whole bag of potato chips. Just enough. Full and happy. But you can handle more- maybe that's just me.

This is another dystopian novel. I looked up the definition in Wikipedia, and the one that applies best is this: Dystopian societies are often imagined as police states, with unlimited power over the citizens. "The Pledge" centers around a world who has different classes distinguished by the language they speak. If you belong to one of the lower classes, you aren't able to understand the languages of the upper class and are not allowed to even look at them when they speak.

The main character Charlie has a big problem- she is a crazy linguist who understands all languages, even one that comes into her parent's restaurant that she has never heard before. The country is in crisis, everyone is suspicious of one another, and the Queen is looking for an heir- or just a body to inhabit for the next 80 years.

This is a fast and easy read that you don't want to end. Great character development- I truly cared about Charlie and absolutely fell in love with her little sister (who is sure to have a significant part in the next book). I am very excited about this series and encourage everyone to pick it up.

Side note- this is so exciting! The author Kimberly Derting lives about 15 minutes away from me!!! I know that I have had to dispel rumors that I'm an author groupie (Thanks to my husband) but really this is too much! I live in a small town outside of Seattle and she lives very nearby. Open invitation for coffee Kim!

Check out her other books too- I haven't read them but am counting on an Amazon gift card for Christmas, in which case I will be buying them all!

Oh and last but not least- (I don't want this to end!!) my 13 old daughter Jhordin loved it too! Her friends want to borrow it, but the cover is too pretty and come on- support a local author. I told them to buy it. And we all agreed, it is well worth the money! ...more

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Feb 12, 2012 Sabrina rated it it was ok

2.49 Stars = Slightly-better-than-okay-but-not-enough-for-me-to-like-it-or-for-me-to-round-it-up

This book annoyed me to great depths.

Honestly, I was seriously disappointed with this novel. I came in with such high hopes, the synopis was promising. Classes divided by languages. Sounds cool? Interesting? Unique? It is! Unfortunately, the other factors of the book overshadowed the awesome idea.

I was so fascinated by this novel that I did the unthinkable. Rather than consulting the internet reviews ...more

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Sep 24, 2011 Haley rated it really liked it

Shelves: the-sky-is-falling, loveit

This author surprised me with this book. I have, of course, read The Body Finder and was overall satisfied with it but not enough to persue the 2nd novel in the series. This book is the same way: it is alluring, the characters appeal, and there is nothing abnormally good or bad about the writing. A nice easy read. The voice was good, all of the perspectives were good as well.

Will I read it again soon? Probably not...but that is not to say it was a bad book. Quite the contrary. It was very good. ...more

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Jul 21, 2011 Holly rated it really liked it

This was a different type of dystopian story than what I've read before. Where people are divided between the language they speak. There were a lot of surprises in the book that I hadn't seen coming. I for one, enjoyed the book, but I'm curious as to where the next one will pick up. It seemed that our characters lived happily ever after, but I'm guessing that won't always be the case. ...more

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Jul 04, 2011 Katarina Silva rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favoritos, awesome-covers, hot-male-leads, hot-brother-s, relationship-issues, amazing-love-story, awesome-sisters, blondie-s, mind-blowing-cover, awesome

Definitely one of my favorite book so far but i wouldn´t expect less from Kimberly Derting. Very good written and really compelling. I literally couldn´t stop reading the book. I just hope that there will be a next one. I want more from Max and Charlie, Aron and Brooke. :)

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