Age: 15
Title: Birth Marked
Author: Caragh M. O'Brien
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Pub Date: April 2010
Galley: Yes
Nominate for Teen’s Top 10: No
Recommend: Yes
Convince us to read the book: I would recommend this book with reservations. According to the inside cover, it's "'The Handmaid's Tale' meets 'The Hunger Games.'" To that, I shrug. Proverbially, of course. This book reuses many tired devices, but is able to put a new twist on them. The setting is implied to be the remains of Duluth after global warming carpet-bombed the Great Lakes. Proverbially, of course. The main character is named Gaia, in what must be the absolute subtlest allusion this year. Gaia is a midwife in the slums surrounding a shining city called the Enclave. She must turn the first three babies she delivers each month over to the Enclave, where they will be raised by wealthy families unable to have children of their own. After the arrest of her parents, Gaia begins to question her job in taking infants from their mothers.
Compelling Aspect of the Book: This book is not very well-written. The story is new enough to be interesting, but the writing is poorly paced and exposition is scattered unevenly. Things which are important get glossed over while insignificant background details are described lavishly. It's near impossible to tell how much or little time has passed. Luckily, the story is good enough to keep reading for. It's original, but at times, the clunky writing trips the story up, and manages to make it feel old and trite. The story itself is good, and definitely worth reading for.
Were you disappointed with the book at all: I didn't care about the characters in this book, yet I wanted to know what would happen next. I'm not really sure about the mechanics of this, but hey. Overall, this is not a bad book. The storytelling is awkward, but it's worth reading for the story.
Comments: This book is supposed to have a very green, pro-environment slant. I didn't notice. The green message is maybe a two paragraphs over half of a page. One character sees a lush garden, and wonders if the entire earth used to be like that. So those of you shying away from the book in fear of a heavy-handed environmental message can exhale.
Cover: The cover of this book is pretty similar to that of the covers of the Uglies series. It's not a bad cover, I'm just tired of the 'wrap-around face' trend. I'm sure there are more creative, original ideas just waiting to be mined.
Did you finish: Yes
Age Range: 12-17
Quality: 3Q Readable
Popularity: 2P Only for special interest
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