XVI (XVI, #1) in Once Upon a Twilight blog

Aug 31, 2010 Bettina Restrepo rated it really liked it

The book is described as "Nina is 15. And like all girls she'll receive a Governing Council ordered tattoo on her 16th birthday. XVI. Those three letters will be branded on her wrist, announcing to all the world - even the most predatory of men that she is ready for sex. Considered easy prey by some, portrayed by the Media as sluts who ask for attacks, becoming a "sex-teen" is Nina's worst fear. That is, until right before her birthday, when Nina's mom is brutally attacked. With her dying breath ...more

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Dec 15, 2010 Once rated it really liked it

Shelves: debut-author-2011

So here we have another Dystopian book, Ive noticed this is my trend lately. I picked up XVI since I had it in my Debut Author Challenge. I don't like comparing but XVI felt like Matched to me. I kept waiting for that "Ooh" and "Ahh" moment and it did happen eventually but towards the end of the book. The storyline was definitely different from the rest but a little hard to accept. I enjoyed the characters, the author did a great job of making them stand out. The action is the 2nd half of the bo So here we have another Dystopian book, Ive noticed this is my trend lately. I picked up XVI since I had it in my Debut Author Challenge. I don't like comparing but XVI felt like Matched to me. I kept waiting for that "Ooh" and "Ahh" moment and it did happen eventually but towards the end of the book. The storyline was definitely different from the rest but a little hard to accept. I enjoyed the characters, the author did a great job of making them stand out. The action is the 2nd half of the book is what help me rate the book higher then when I started reading it. The little bit of love story we got towards the end wished it could have started earlier so we could read more about it. The plot is about a world that is run by the government and when a girl hit the age of 16 she gets branded with a tattoo on her wrist and is now free game for the men to have sexual relations with. Sometimes it can be consensual or sometimes the men take advantage and don't wait for a yes.

I really loved Nina's character, she is different from every other "sex-teen" as they are called. She is not ready to be branded and give herself up. She is one tough cookie. She has to deal with circumstances involving her step-dad and her mother. She has to move in with her grandparents and sister. She meets new friends that are very helpful with her and her dilemma that she needs to figure out since it was her mother's dying wish. So of course that adventure leads to lots of trouble and well Nina along with her friends take it on. While all this is going on she also has to protect her sister and try to change her best friends mind about becoming a "sex-teen". She also meets Sal, and they begin a sweet relationship, even after she find out certain things about Sal. So Im very curious as to what the second book will bring us. I will state that I recommend reader that are 16 and older to read this book. I think anyone younger might need to let your parent read first to see if they believe your mature enough to read this novel. There is a lot of reference to sex.

Review link: http://www.onceuponatwilight.com/2011... ...more

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Oct 20, 2010 Carolina added it

I don't think a review of XVI would be complete without at least addressing the cover--because it's so freaking fantastic. A little startling, almost disturbing in the way that girl, smeared mascara, peers into you through her age. Like her age is the slim wall between you--which is perfect because it represents so much of what this book deals with.

Sixteen. The age in this dystopian world when you become an adult--when you are legal to have sex, and if you aren't fully protected by cunning, plan I don't think a review of XVI would be complete without at least addressing the cover--because it's so freaking fantastic. A little startling, almost disturbing in the way that girl, smeared mascara, peers into you through her age. Like her age is the slim wall between you--which is perfect because it represents so much of what this book deals with.

Sixteen. The age in this dystopian world when you become an adult--when you are legal to have sex, and if you aren't fully protected by cunning, planning, and economic status, also an age when you're likely to be preyed upon. Karr's world in XVI is futuristic, to be sure, with hovering trannies and PAVs, but it's not like Back to the Future, you know? It's gritty and pretty realistic, a distinct possibility given the right chain of events--wars, coups, rise to power, greed and corruption--perhaps even feminism gone awry, as the centralized government gets a hold of the movement, and with complete control of the media, convinces people that they are making the world a better place (such as for young girls, keeping them safe until they are sixteen). Except nothing is what it seems. Economic striations are blatant and government endorsed. And girls are brainwashed into feeling like they have power through sex, while in reality, they have very little volition. But I don't think this is necessarily an idea confined to Karr's futuristic world, as it seems to apply quite aptly to our own (think of every ad you've ever seen featuring some woman in skimpy clothes getting a man to do her bidding). Sex sells no matter what time you live in, but in 2149, the cost is free will. And Nina resists this brainwashing with all her might.

But there's also a great mystery in XVI as Nina and her friends try to solve the riddle of her mother's final words, all while trying to protect her little sister who's being threatened. Yet every step of the way, Nina finds herself falling for the mysterious Sal, undermining the walls of antipathy she'd put up against the government's manipulative pimping of sex. Because suddenly, she wants to do it. Suddenly there is no black and white. Oh, but if that isn't the bane of adolescence...except Nina has to deal with a fundamental rite of passage in a dark world with so much loss in her life. Yet it's not all gloom and doom. Karr does a great job adding moments of lightness and mirth, alleviating the tension for Nina and for the reader.

XVI is a thought-provoking, but entertaining read that tackles real issues pertinent to today's world and to contemporary teens: a dystopian, a mystery, and a love-story wrapped up into one.
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Nov 20, 2010 Jennifer rated it really liked it

I’ve put off writing this review for a while now, hoping that my thoughts on it would change. That didn’t happen. While I enjoyed reading XVI, I wasn’t in love with the story as a whole. Dystopian novels are amongst my favorite reads and I expected this one to fall into place and be one of those books I can’t bear to part with…that just isn’t the case here.

In Nina’s world, girls receive a tattoo when they become sixteen. The tattoo is like an advertisement, letting all men know that the person b ...more

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Nov 24, 2010 Savannah (Books With Bite) rated it really liked it

I liked this book and the way the world was portrayed. There were so many emotions and so many....changes in the world that it was easy to see with Ms. Karr writing.

This book is awesome. I like how Ms. Karr used the future of the world and what is going on today to formulate a wonderful story. Never have I heard or read anything like it. The rules of her world are easy to see and how our world today is progressing. In XVI girls have to dress easy and be all sexed up by the time they turn 16. The ...more

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Jan 01, 2011 Jennifer rated it really liked it

4.5/5 stars.

I am a huge fan of dystopian novels and XVI did not disappoint me.I really enjoyed this book.

This book is set way in the future (I think around the year 2150). Nina is getting ready to turn 16 at which point she will be branded with a tattoo on her wrist. This tattoo is supposed to announce that she is an adult and now ready for sex. XVI leads us up to Nina's birthday.

I really liked all the characters. We have Nina's best friend Sandy who is obsessed with turning 16 and all it entail ...more

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