The Best Moments In Reading Are When You Come Across Something- A Thought, A Feeling, A Way At Looking At Things- Which You Had Thought Special And Particular To You. And Now, Here It Is, Set Down By Someone Else, A Person You Have Never Met, Someone Who Is Even Long Dead. And It Is As If A Hand Has Come Out, And Taken Yours.

Alan Bennett

The History Boys

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

Only Ever Yours

Title: Only Ever Yours 
Author: Louise O’ Neal
Publisher: Quercus Publishing
Publication Date: August 27th, 2015
Genre: YA, Dystopian, Sci-Fi.
Length: 400 pages
Where you can get your copy: Book Depository, Waterstones , Barnes & Noble.

freida and isabel have been best friends their whole lives. Now, aged sixteen and in their final year at the School, they expect to be selected as companions to rich and powerful men. The alternative - life as a concubine - is too horrible to contemplate. But as the intensity of the final year takes hold, the pressure to remain perfect becomes almost unbearable. isabel starts to self-destruct, putting her beauty- her only asset- in peril. And then, the boys arrive, eager to choose a bride. fried must fight for her future- even if it means betraying her only friend, the only love she has ever known… 

The story is about two best friends: isabel and freida. They both attend (along with all other girls) a special girl only academy where your only job is learning how to look good and to do everything that your husband tells you to. They have no parents as they’re “hatched” and know nothing of the world outside except the things they are brainwashed into believing. After graduating from this special academy you get chosen into one of the three possible social ladder positions/categories/jobs. This category pretty much decides what you will do for the rest of your life so it’s very important. The first and the one most girls want to be (at least everyone seems to think so) are the companions. Okay I do realize women have virtually no rights in this world, but if there had to be one that is the “best” for women, it would probably the companions. They have to do everything their husband tells them to, but at least they are wives who can own stuff, maybe even sell stuff (definitely not as a job though). They look after the children and produce children (preferably male), but can pretty much do nothing else. The second position is that of a concubine. Throughout the book concubines are considered to be property instead of living breathing creatures. It is shameful to be a concubine as it’s a job for “cheap women”. A concubine is basically the equivalent of a prostitute except she can be owned by a man. A man has one campion and can have several concubines. The last category is that of a chastity. A chastity is the lowest possible position on the social ladder. She is basically there to teach and look after younger girls in training at the academy also called eves. A chastity can not have a husband nor boyfriend. She can not own anything, and all the things she owns including her closet sized room and black robes get passed down to other chastities after her death. 

 I absolutely love how the author is dedicated to the book and story. This is something you don’t really get to see often in writing, but if you do you know the author is really good at what she’s doing. Like when she makes the first letter of the female character’s names lowercase to show how insignificant they were, while the male character’s names are all uppercase to show their superiority. Sure, it’s a tiny detail that you may not even notice but it’s amazing if you do. Sorry I’m going into one of my mini rants again. Anyways as I was saying before I love O’ Neill’s attention to detail, which is one of the things that makes you want to beg for more after the story ends. I am really confused about how I feel about the ending of the book. Part of me feels like I really, really, really, want there to be a sequel or well anything so I could basically have more of the story. I know that O’ Neill also has a different book but I just feel that I won’t love it as much as a I loved this one and I’ll be very However, a part of me feels like the story just wouldn’t be so strong, the entire story would be watered down if there was a sequel. I am surprised that not as many people know it as I thought they did, because this story is very engaging and will have you engrossed in the book after a few pages. One last thing I could say is that this story isn’t comparable to anything else I have so far seen in YA fiction. The book itself is surprisingly dark and chilling. I guarantee that this is an unforgettable book, and you’ll remember the ending a long time after you finish reading. The beginning and ending of the book are polar opposites in the way the writing style and the plot changes. The book itself is surprisingly dark and chilling.
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