True Calling by Siobhan Davis

(4/5 stars)

*I received a digital copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*

So I saw this book being compared to a lot of other books; we've got some Hunger Games stuff, The Selection bits, and pieces of Divergent, but it all meshes into something of its own. It takes the things we love about those books and places them in space with psychics and lost memories. Yeah, exactly, I was intrigued too. 

What I liked: There were a lot of things I liked about this book. Even though I saw some themes I'd seen before, they felt different and captured my attention from the very start. I was hooked. The world building is interesting, and it's a concept that I really liked reading about. You've got super-screwed-up Earth and pretend-utopia Novo, and their contrast is really well done. I'm super Team Ari. She's very real. She's not afraid to show emotion and she's shallow about clothing, but she's still tough and isn't afraid to stand up for herself. Hello, well-rounded and relatable female protagonist. The fact that familial relationships play a bit part in this book is super important considering a lot of the plot revolves around the Bachelor-style marriage pageant. You don't actually see a lot of the competition itself, so it focuses more on the relationships around Ari and what's important to her. I know there's a love triangle of sorts going on here, but I actually like reading about this one. I guess Cal and Zane feel so separate in her life so it's easy to see why she loved/loves/will love them. 

What I didn't like: Okay, so yes, some of the plot was incredibly predictable. It happens. Gotta move on. But I think the thing that kept me from giving this a full five stars was the language. Not in graphic or offensive language or anything like that (please, have you met me?), but mostly I couldn't imagine Ari or Cal or any of them talking so properly or stiffly. Their speech patterns seemed a bit flowery and over-intentional, and it pulled me out of my suspension of disbelief. It doesn't completely take away, but still, they use words that people don't use in daily conversation. They could loosen up a bit and talk more like normal teenagers. 

Still, I'm hooked on this series and I can't wait for the next book. After a cliffhanger like that, I need to know what happens right.now.please. 

-Annie