Review: ACID

Title: ACID
Author: Emma Pass
Genre: Science Fiction, Dystopia
Publication Date: April 25, 2013  (March 11, 2014 in North America)
Goodreads

A Quick Introduction: Jenna's world is ruled by ACID, and elite and brutal police force. Almost two years ago, she was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder. When she is broken out, she if offered a second chance- new face, new name, new life- if only she can avoid letting anyone know that she's Jenna Strong, high profile prison escapee.

Out of Ten: 7/10

Review at a Glance: The well formed and rapid paced story of a girl trying to survive under the rule of a totalitarian government.

Review:  This was an engaging read, and I overall enjoyed it. This novel is fast-paced and action packed. It catalogs Jenna's escape from prison, and her struggle to survive in the world thereafter, especially when things get more and more dangerous.

Jenna is a slightly hardened character. She lived a decadent life before her conviction, so her nearly two years in prison have turned her into a very different person. She's toughened up a great deal, and is less likely to trust anyone. Overall, I found her an enjoyable character to read, and overall fairly connectable- I found myself willing to follow her story. The only aspect that didn't really work for me was her past, her past self and her actions didn't seem to click with who she was in the story, which makes sense later on. While some of her decisions were frustrating, I generally understood why she made the choices she did.

There is a side-romance in the book, which I didn't really find myself caring much about. It felt a bit forced, and kind of unnecessary, given everything else that was happening, though I did appreciate that it wasn't made forefront, due to all of the aforementioned things happening. Overall, it seemed like the story would have been about the same without it.

The plot was rapid fire and full of action. Jenna spends much of the book in danger or on the run, and the world of the future isn't safe. She doesn't know who, if anyone, she can trust. She learned to defend herself when she was imprisoned, and she often works out when she can, so she doesn't get out of shape. While there were a few pieces of the plot, and the world, that I would have liked to see fleshed out a bit more or explained, or that seemed just a little beyond belief, it was overall fast-paced and enjoyable to follow.

The story is told mainly in first person, from Jenna's point of view, with samples from ACID reports, as well as rebel communications and unsigned letters written to Jenna. I enjoyed the writing style, though there was a point where I had to stop and try and figure out if the use of a certain name was a typo or not (does that make sense?). I think it was intentional (still not 100% sure), but it did jar me out of the moment a little. That aside, it generally suits the rapid pace of the story well.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read. It almost seemed as though there was set-up for a sequel in the last couple of pages, but it doesn't seem that there will be one. It could go either way, it just leaves a little uncertainty in the ending.