Aberrant (Aberrant, #1)

by Ruth Silver

• ISBN10: 1508437246
• ISBN13: 9781508437246
• Publish Date: 10 February 2015 (first published 1 April 2013)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Createspace
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 248
• Language: English

Reviews

[Terri M. LeBlanc]

A Book Recipe For
Aberrant By Ruth Silver

Ingredients


One part Divergent Series by Veronica Roth
One part Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins
One part Matched Series by Ally Condie

Mixing Instructions
Take above ingredients. Mix as well as you would like. Layout on 240 (or so pages) and publish.

Now wait, I know it takes more than that to write a book. There is a lot of blood, sweat and tears that go into creating a world and publishing a novel, but it was hard for me not to see the glaring pulls from some of the most popular young adult dystopian novels.

There is potential here. I didn’t throw down this book after 50 pages in disgust because something didn’t sit right spatially in my head. The idea of women being infertile was intriguing, but put together haphazardly. The story, on the whole, just needed more time in the lab.


This review was originally posted on Second Run Reviews

[Kelly]

Aberrant was good, only as it felt as though it should have been longer. It had the core dystopian components, without the instant love or relationship with the added third wheel, but it left me waiting and wanting the typical anarchy, the feisty uprising and the tension, that sadly never came. It's ideal for teen young adult readers, especially those who enjoyed Ally Condie's Matched series.

The reader will wonder who is the lesser of two evils. The government treats everyone equally, with individuality discouraged. They claim to base choices on what is in each citizen's best interests, who to marry, which couple are to be allowed a child through means of lottery, and their role within the community. The Alliance within Haven aren't the rebellious revolutionaries they claim to be. Forceful and unjust in punishment, implanting tracker chips on those who don't comply, and incarceration for those who dare to ask questions. They also take away Olivia's basic human rights, but Haven was too fleeting to allow for the development of it's residents and characters, one being Joshua's mother. She seemed too pivotal to be skimmed over.

I loved the twist that the Shadow settlement provided, late within the Alliance training. I would have loved to have seen Haven eradicated altogether, with Olivia and Joshua having found the town through other means, perhaps back in Genesis.

I really enjoyed the overall concept and storyline, but it felt as though it was hurriedly streaming towards nothing in particular. If it had been drawn out, allowing for character development, more exploration of the actual role of the Rebel Alliance without blurring the lines between different Rebel camps and making them one entire organisation, no doubt I would have given Aberrant a far higher rating.

[Kim Deister]

Aberrant takes place in the future, the dystopian society of Cabal. It is a world that seems ideal on the surface, the premise of absolute equality for everyone. But it is soon clear that perhaps it isn't so ideal, with very little free will and free choice. One of the most fundamental changes is the ability to have families in the traditional, the ability to conceive a thing of the past. With it went the basic forms of intimacy. Instead, marriage is less about love and more about being "matched" by the government. Children are given to selected families through lottery, not choice. And this is where the fun begins...

There are not enough words for me to describe how much I loved this book. I fell into it immediately, loving Olivia from the very beginning. She was a bit of a rebel, a spark in her that I instantly related to. Joshua was equally wonderful as a main character, and I think I adored him as much as I did because Olivia clearly adored him. I felt every emotion right along with Olivia, frequently being angry with other characters as they seemingly used her for their own reasons. The mystery and intrigue of the book made just about every other character more than a little suspect, which truly added to the suspense and the anticipation of the book.

The world that the author created was phenomenal, from the physical side of it to the people that lived in it. It blended the future with the contemporary in a way that made it entirely believable. The pacing was perfect, with twists and turns that I never saw coming. Questions were left unanswered, leaving me begging for the next book!

Things to love about Aberrant...

--Olivia. I loved her, absolutely. I wanted to stand up and yell on her behalf. I wanted to hug her. I wanted to be her best friend. She was strong, a rebel, and fiercely loyal to those she chose to trust.

--The intense emotions. This book really drew me in and made me feel, a whole range of emotions. I often felt like I was in the middle of the story right along with Olivia and Joshua.

Things I wanted more of...

--Aberrant!!

My recommendation: A fantastic read that you won't be able to put down!