Quirky Cat
Written on Dec 6, 2017
Something Blue is an incredibly unique story. It takes a world born out of science fiction and spins it into something I would never expect; with the focus on arranged marriages and love. I can honestly say I’ve never read anything quite like it, and found it to be a very interesting and emotional read, though it is also relaxing at times.
Set in the far future, Valentine lives in a world where all marriages are arranged. Why, you ask? Because a company, Bliss Inc., has figured out the perfect mathematical solution for love. If you’re lucky enough to make it into the program, you’ll spend your life preparing for your wedding and your marriage until they day you’re both ready. I mean it when I say that too; it looks like society has been set up around weddings and marriages.
This may make it all sound like a silly romance, but there’s quite a lot going on here. For one thing, Valentine was raised on expectations for her marriage, so being forced to come to terms with those expectations is difficult, to say the least. After all, she’s marrying a human, not a set of expectations. Her partner has a lot of learning and growing to do as well in order to make things work with her.
The romance is a slow building one, as both characters learn to respect each other and themselves while also trying to navigate the world they’ve been thrust into. Bliss Inc. may make it sound like its all perfect and simple; but then again they don’t exactly talk about the failures do them? While that should raise alarm bells for many, it seems only our odd couple is aware of the situation.
Having Bliss Inc. be this big, faceless enemy was a pretty brilliant move on Kristy Nicolle’s part. It made everything feel so much larger and foreboding while simultaneously raising the ante (after all, this company is large enough to effect society at large – the very way every single person is raised and lives). Each revelation about Bliss Inc. just made them that much more threatening.
What I really loved about this novel was the fact that when I first started reading it, I never would have dreamed of labeling it a dystopian novel. It all felt to perfect and futuristic – how could I possibly consider it in a light such as that? Once I got further though, I realized just how accurate of a label it is, and I think you will too.
I can’t wait to see what’s next from the mind of Kristy Nicolle. She’s clearly capable of coming up with unique plots, so I’m not even sure I could fathom a guess at what she’ll come up with next.
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