Corruption (Disruption, #2)

by Jessica Shirvington

[Kelly]

http://www.divabooknerd.com/2014/10/corruption-by-jessica-shirvington.html
Jessica Shirvington is phenomenal. The Disruption Duology is simply the best Australian dystopian series I've ever had the privileged of reading. Told from the perspective of Maggie Stevens, sassy, self aware and a manipulator who knows how to get the job done. Her only weakness has always been her father, the man who was supposedly removed from his home by force, only for Maggie to discover the truth behind the man she has always idolised. The world is now run by the Mercer Corporation. Citizens who are deemed unworthy are thrown into underground prisons and left to rot, while the remaining population live their lives according to a wrist band that denotes how they rate with a potential partner, their physical statistics and how the oppressive society is able to weed out the undesirables. In Disruption, Maggie recruits Quentin to her cause, through deception and manipulation, the heir to the Mercer family never expected to fall in love with the girl who is now wanted by the law.

I adore Maggie. She's the ultimate heroine. Sassy, intelligent and where others have failed, she didn't lose her identity when presented with a love interest. After being captured and held hostage, Maggie is now even more determined to bring the Mercer Corporation down and understands that this may be her final act of heroism. She's abrasive and manipulative, which only adds to her charm. But it's the secondary characters that also bring a warmth and humour to the storyline, including best friend Gus. Maggie and Gus have a seemingly toxic friendship, but care for one another deeply. Gus certainly steals the spotlight throughout Corruption and his contribution will endear him to fans of the series.

What strikes me most with Jessica Shirvington, is her ability to create characters that are exceptionally realistic and throw them into fictional worlds to find their own feet. Not often to we see both incredible world building and strong individual characters within the same storyline, with authors usually sacrificing one to build upon the other. As the mark of an phenomenal author, Jessica Shirvington is a natural storyteller and I can't wait to see what she's working on next.

The Disruption Duology is simply the best of Aussie young adult, and Jessica Shirvington is absolutely brilliant.