[description from goodreads]
An invisible, uncrossable physical barrier encloses the Unified States. The Line is the part of the border that lopped off part of the country, dooming the inhabitants to an unknown fate when the enemy used a banned weapon. It’s said that bizarre creatures and superhumans live on the other side, in Away. Nobody except tough old Ms. Moore would ever live next to the Line.
Nobody but Rachel and her mother, who went to live there after Rachel’s dad died in the last war. It’s a safe, quiet life. Until Rachel finds a mysterious recorded message that can only have come from Away. The voice is asking for help.
Who sent the message? Why is her mother so protective? And to what lengths is Rachel willing to go in order to do what she thinks is right?
Review:
Sci-fi/dystopian fiction is definitely not my forte, but if all dystopian books are this good, I'm definitely going to have to pick up more.
The Line is the first in a series, and it definitely reads like one. Not much excitement happens until Rachel receives the recorded message; the beginning is mostly just set-up and introductions, but that doesn't make it much less interesting. I enjoyed seeing what it was like in the outskirts of society, rather than seeing the big city, because it seems like all other dystopian novels I've read or heard about deal with people right in the center of all the world's problems. No, The Line is set a bit farther out and is therefore a bit more calm and mysterious in tone. I liked learning along with Rachel about what really happened to make the government and cities the way they are. I always had questions about the world and the secrets Rachel was beginning to uncover, and the mystery is what kept be interested until the real action began.
The characters in this book were fantastic and I'm hoping to learn more about them in the next installment(s?) of the series. Each had their secrets but never let those secrets hinder them; specifically, Ms. Moore and Rachel's mom had huge secrets in their past but still managed to stay strong in their beliefs and practices. I loved seeing Rachel learn new things about the people she's known for her whole life, because as she learned she gained new ideas and started taking action, which made the book much more exciting.
And one more thing: that cliffhanger at the end? Mean!
The Line is a bit slow to start but once the action gets going it's totally awesome. I cannot wait to read the sequel, Away, and I'm hoping that the world and characters are explored even more because I know there's so much left to be found out.
Book details: Dial/Hardcover/$16.99
Links: Teri's website and twitter
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