Review & Giveaway: Meritropolis by Joel Ohman

BookCrushin loves to discover new books and Meritropolis by Joel Ohman is one of those books, if not for the tour, we may never have discovered. So check out the entire tour (links in banner as per the usual) for more insight on this YA dystopian thriller! You can read my spoiler-free review below and enter in the very generous tour-wide giveaway!

 

Meritropolis by Joel Ohman

Series: Meritropolis, #1
Category: Dystopia, Young Adult
Publication: September 8th, 2014
Purchase: Amazon, B&N

In Meritropolis everyone is assigned a numerical Score that decides their worth to society and whether they live or die. After a young boy is killed because of a low Score, his brother plots to take down the System.

The year is AE3, 3 years after the Event. Within the walls of Meritropolis, 50,000 inhabitants live in fear, ruled by the brutal System that assigns each citizen a merit score that dictates whether they live or die. Those with the highest scores thrive, while those with the lowest are subject to the most unforgiving punishment–to be thrust outside the city gates, thrown to the terrifying hybrid creatures that exist beyond.

But for one High Score, conforming to the System just isn’t an option. Seventeen-year-old Charley has a brother to avenge. And nothing–not even a totalitarian military or dangerous science–is going to stop him.

Where humankind has pushed nature and morals to the extreme, Charley is amongst the chosen few tasked with exploring the boundaries, forcing him to look deep into his very being to discern right from wrong. But as he and his friends learn more about the frightening forces that threaten destruction both without and within the gates, Meritropolis reveals complexities they couldn’t possibly have bargained for…

 

Review:

[book rating =5/5]

 

It’s three years after the Event. Everything has changed. The System rules now. The System assigns everyone a numerical score. The ones with high scores are educated and treated well as long as they are useful to Meritropolis. The people with low-scores are treated like animals. The ones with the lowest scores are pushed out of the gates to be killed by one of the many hybrid animals. The rules are the rules…the city of Meritropolis can hold 50,000 people and not one more.

If you know me, or have spoken to be in any capacity, you know that I am a talker.  So trust me when I say that any time I am speechless, that is a big deal. This book left me utterly speechless.

The main character is a high score named Charley. After losing his parents and older brother to the System, you could say that he is less than thrilled to live under the rules of the System, or under the thumb of the commander.

This is the first book by Ohman that I have had the pleasure of reading. Without giving too much away I can tell you that this book was a treat and a surprise.

This book was so deep, with the story line floating on the surface like a pretty water lily, but with all of the actual change happening below the surface. There was a flavor for everyone in this book, a little puppy love brewing, action, slightly psychopathic tendencies, conspiracy theories, and some major plot twists. No one is left wanting. I love it when an author leaves me thinking, “Wow! I did NOT see that coming!”

I have to say that while Meritropolis is expertly written, clean, intriguing, and had just enough at the end to make you salivate in anticipation of the next book…my absolute favorite part of the book was how the point of view was written. This book was written like a literary ripple in the water, like a game of chess. Not all of the characters interact, but their actions directly effect the actions of one another.

If you liked The Hunger Games or The Divergent series, this book is for you!

Undoubtedly a 5 out of 5 stars for me.

Happy Reading!

-T

 

Author Bio: Joel Ohman

Joel Ohman is the author of the Meritropolis series –“The Hunger Games meets The Village with a young Jack Reacher as a protagonist”. He lives in Tampa, FL with his wife Angela and their three kids. His writing companion is Caesar, a slightly overweight Bull Mastiff who loves to eat the tops off of strawberries.

Learn more about Joel: JoelOhman.com
Get notified of new books here: Meritropolis.com
Follow Joel on  Twitter
Connect with Joel on Facebook

 

Giveaway:

Tour-wide giveaway (INTL) – $50 Amazon Gift Card

a Rafflecopter giveaway