BOOK REVIEW & GIVEAWAY - STATE OF GRACE by HILARY BADGER - YOUNG ADULT DYSTOPIAN - HARDIE GRANT EGMONT

By: Hilary Badger

Published By: Hardie Grant Egmont
Released : 1st October 2014
Details : Paperback Uncorrect Bound Proof for honest review, 305 Pages

RATING: 4.75 WOW STARS!

Blurb: Goodreads

Ever since she was created, Wren has lived in an idyllic garden with her friends. Wren's deity Dot ensures the trees are laden with fruit and the water in the lagoon is crystal clear. Wren and her friends have everything they could possibly need right there, in Dot's Paradise.

If only Wren could stop the strange, disturbing visions she's started having. Do these visions make her less worthy of Dot's love? And what does Blaze, the most beautiful and mysterious of Dot's creations, know about what's going on in Wren's head?

Wren is desperate to feel Dot's love, just like everyone else. But that's harder than ever when a creation she's never met before arrives in the garden. He claims to be from outside and brings with him words and ideas that make Wren's brain hurt.

Gradually Wren and Blaze uncover the truth: they're part of a clinical trial of an ominous drug called Grace.

And as she deals with this disturbing knowledge, Wren confronts a horrific secret from her past. Now she must decide whether to return to the comforting delusion of faith or fight for the right to face the very ugly truth. - See more at: http://www.randomhouse.co.nz/books/hi..

GIVEAWAY

The good people at Hardie Grant Egmont have kindly donated

 2 paperbacks to giveaway of State of Grace.

AUSTRALIAN ENTRIES ONLY

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BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:

I was sucked into this intriguing story from the very get-go.

Hilary Badger has created a utopian world for her characters.

utopian 

adjective 

1. 1. 

modelled on or aiming for a state in which everything is perfect; idealistic. 

"it is based on a utopian ideology" 

synonyms: 

unworldly, non-materialistic, non-material, immaterial; 

This place, is very much like a Garden of Eden and it has only one hundred people in it. At first we don’t know anybody’s age. I will let you find that out for yourself.

There are no inhibitions. Tatas = boobies and chubs = willy are on display and nobody bats an eyelid.

Did I mention Fern has really nice tatas? Oh my Dot, she totally does. The whole of Fern is kind of round - her face and her eyes - but the roundest part is those tatas, for sure. They're like a pair of honeydew melons or ruby grapefruit, all ripe and everything.

Luna dives under the water and drags Fern down again. That gets the people beside them doing the same thing until there's just this bunch of legs and arms, tatas and chubs flying all over the place.


Except for maybe Blaze.

I whip my sungarb over my head. The entire time, Blaze looks down at his feet like they're the most fascinating things Dot's ever created. It's like he's not sure where to look now I have my sungarb off, which is sort of prenormal. I mean, bodies are Dot's creation and that makes them beautiful to look at, the same as a flower.


Blaze is different, more careful of letting anyone see his chubs.

This story is very addictive and it gets quite intense in parts.

Things are taught to them through the Book of Dot. They all live in this blissful world of hooking up , as it is encouraged.

That would be the creepy bit.

As the reader, you can’t help but work some things out. We will question this existence and wonder the why of it.

Anything so perfect, must come with some flaws.

Wren is living for Dot. She is a good girl. What Dot, who is this God, says in the books, she does. Everything is dotly to her.

We only get introduced to several of the one hundred people in this utopian world.

We watch the different personalities start to come out.

Is all what it seems?

It's not long now, as I remind myself... oh ... about every single time I breathe in or out. Three-hundred-and-fifty-eight days down, seven more to go.


This was a page turner for me. I was interested, excited to know more. I had my theories.

You see, Dot wants us to have a big party on the lawn to celebrate the three-hundred-and-sixty-fifth night since we were created. That night, Dot's announcing her chosen ones. It says in the Books that Dot has a special purpose for them. 

This story goes a lot deeper the more you read.

It always looks like Blaze never's quite settled in the body Dot created for him. Tall, with wide shoulders and long legs, which are sort of thick and muscular and power-looking, like the rest of him. But I don't know how he stays that way, since Blaze isn't the most active person in creation.


I thought it was clever.

I loved the twists.

I loved it made my brain work trying to work some of the twists out. As the reader we are supposed to work a certain amount out and the characters are the ones who must make their own discoveries.

We applaud them once they do.

We get shocked at some things, when they do.

Well done to Hilary Badger. She brought something fresh for me to read and she kept me wondering about some things.

Michelle