POSSESSION, Elana Johnson, 2011

Vi knows the Rule: Girls don't walk with boys, and they never even think about kissing them. But no one makes Vi want to break the Rules more than Zenn...and since the Thinkers have chosen him as Vi's future match, how much trouble can one kiss cause? The Thinkers may have brainwashed the rest of the population, but Vi is determined to think for herself. (Goodreads)

Reviewed by Emily (EMS)

I've been wanting to read this one for a long time, ever since I read a review praising it up and down. I wish I could remember where that was, because I'd totally give that blogger a shout-out.

I'm really starting to think that dystopia might be my new favorite genre. I'd abandoned it a long time ago, after such high school gems as Animal Farm,Brave New World, and 1984. (I'm going to go back and revisit those, by the way, now that I'm a mature adult.)

In Possession, Elana Johnson creates a Society dominated by the Thinkers, who control the populace. In the Goodlands, you can get arrested for something as simple as walking with a boy. If you're out after curfew, well, you might not like the consequences. Everywhere you go, there are sensors that read your iris patterns (which are as distinct as fingerprints, did you know that? I didn't until just recently.) and Mechs that read bar codes. If you happen to have been tagged, you're pretty much fodder for the scanners.

Violet, of course, is a rule breaker. She's even gone as far as chopping off her hair into a sweet spiky do, and then dyed it jet black. Nice! Violet is my kind of girl, I tell you. I'm pretty sure that at some point in the future, I'll have that haircut too...

Besides the fact that she has awesome hair, Violet rocks. She's STRONG. And she's strong without needing a guy to come to the rescue. She does just fine on her own, though she does prefer the company of one certain young man. Not that I blame her even a little bit. He's HOT. And by hot, I mean WHOA. I'd totally date him.

Plot-wise, loved it. The Society is so brilliantly crafted that it made me a little bit afraid of my cell phone. Seriously. I had to stare at it for a minute because I started wondering if it was going to randomly tase me or something. You never know with technology. Tech is at the forefront of the battle being fought between the Association and the Resistance. It's amazing, the types of things that Johnson has created here. I'd like her on my invention team.

The creativity displayed here blows my mind in a lot of ways. Sure, some of the tech has been seen before in the likes of Star Trek, but it's used fantastically here. Didn't feel like a cop-out, even a little bit.

You know what? I'm seriously about to drop some major spoilers, so I'll quit while I'm ahead and just tell y'all to GO READ THIS BOOK. It's SO worth it.

It gets a 'Pick Me' rating for sheer awesomeness.

Market: Young Adult

Language: Mild

Sensuality: None

Violence: Moderate

Mature Themes: dystopia

Book Formats:

Paperback

e-book